CABINET OFFICE

Civil Servants

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the office and the agencies for which the Office is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997.

Douglas Alexander: The breakdown requested is shown for all departments in the following tables. Some departments and agencies have changed names and/or structure following Machinery of Government changes between the two dates.
	The numbers and totals are rounded to the nearest ten from the raw data. Any numbers less than five are represented by "..", whereas entries in the tables represented by "—" signify no data.
	
		Permanent staff in post by Department and responsibility level as at 1January 1997 and 1April 2003 -- 1 April 2003Headcount
		
			 Department SCS Level Grade 6 Grade 7 SEO HEO EO AO AA Other Total 
		
		
			 Cabinet Office 190  420 70 430 380 370 110 — 1,960 
			 COI 10 10 40 120 100 50 30 10 — 360 
			 Security and Intelligence Services 30 60 200 620 1,210 1,740 680 150 — 4,690 
			 DCMS 30 20 80 130 .. 120 100 — — 480 
			 MOD 190 280 900 2,020 4,810 6,290 9,060 6,670 10,740 40,950 
			 Royal Fleet Auxiliary — 60 110 190 110 50 — — 1,990 2,500 
			 Armed Forces Personnel Admin Agency .. .. 10 20 50 50 40 10 — 180 
			 Army Base Repair Organisation — — — — — — — — 2,000 2,000 
			 Army Trng. & Rec. Agency .. 20 30 100 470 1,210 1,080 480 980 4,370 
			 Army Personnel Centre — .. .. 10 80 120 470 150 .. 830 
			 Defence Analytical Services Agency .. .. 20 10 30 70 10 .. — 150 
			 DARA — — — — — — — — 4,120 4,120 
			 Defence Bills Agency .. — .. 10 30 110 380 100 .. 630 
			 Def Comms and Services Agency .. 20 80 310 680 1,030 640 200 250 3,220 
			 Defence Dental Agency — .. 30 .. 10 20 80 30 10 170 
			 Defence Estates 10 40 150 330 260 280 290 70 120 1,530 
			 Defence Science and Tech. Lab. — — — — — — — — 3,090 3,090 
			 Def Geog Img Intel Agency — .. 20 70 200 230 190 60 40 800 
			 DHE .. .. 20 60 110 280 340 20 60 890 
			 Defence Intel and Security Centre — — 10 10 30 20 40 30 20 140 
			 British Forces Post Office — — .. .. 10 60 70 210 30 380 
			 DPA 40 100 330 1,060 1,060 490 480 150 90 3,800 
			 DSDA .. 10 10 60 200 620 540 220 2,880 4,530 
			 Defence Trnspt and Mvmnts Agency — — .. .. 20 30 100 10 140 290 
			 Defence Vetting Agency .. .. .. 10 130 30 70 50 — 290 
			 Disposal Services Agency .. — .. 10 20 20 20 .. — 70 
			 Duke of Yorks Royal Military School — .. .. .. 50 .. 20 .. 20 110 
			 Met Office — — — — .. .. — — 2,130 2,130 
			 MOD Police  .. 20 40 220 550 2,650 50 30 3,560 
			 Naval Manning Agency — — .. .. 20 10 50 20 — 110 
			 Naval Recruitment and Training Agency .. .. 20 60 120 340 170 190 160 1,060 
			 Pay and Personnel Agency .. .. 10 20 60 170 370 100 .. 730 
			 Queen Victoria School — — .. .. 30 10 10 10 10 70 
			 RAF Personnel Mngmnt Agency — — .. .. 10 30 110 70 — 220 
			 RAF Training Group Defence Agency — — 30 40 380 510 430 380 300 2,080 
			 Service Childrens Education .. .. 30 80 550 30 20 — — 720 
			 UK Hydrographic Office — — — .. — — — .. 960 960 
			 Veterans Agency .. 20 10 20 50 270 330 170 — 880 
			 DMETA 10 .. 10 20 60 100 170 140 160 650 
			 Warship Support Agency 10 50 180 540 1,010 1,100 1,040 660 650 5,240 
			 ODPM 130 80 470 300 640 680 560 90 — 2,940 
			 DfES 130 100 630 680 1,310 1,270 890 210 — J5,220 
			 DEFRA 160 120 500 780 1,470 1,440 1,770 690 10 6,940 
			 Central Science Laboratory .. 20 60 70 140 170 170 40 .. 670 
			 CEFAS .. 20 30 80 110 140 160 20 — 560 
			 Pesticide Safety Directorate .. .. 20 30 60 30 30 20 — 180 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency .. 20 50 140 120 240 470 320 — 1,360 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate .. .. 10 20 10 20 40 10 — 120 
			 Home Office 180 230 660 1,110 2,410 6,300 4,140 2,140 20 17,180 
			 Charity Commission 10 — 40 60 140 180 110 40 — 580 
			 HM Prison Service 70 180 470 2,160 530 4,570 7,370 25,810 2,970 44,110 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 50 170 390 1,780 910 1,590 1,700 850 — 7,440 
			 Legal Secretariat 10 10 .. .. .. .. 10 .. — 30 
			 Treasury Solicitors Department 50 120 130 50 30 80 60 20 .. 540 
			 CPSI .. 10 .. .. 10 .. 10 — — 40 
			 DCA 90 80 270 290 530 380 290 50 — 1,980 
			 Court Service 20 30 130 190 970 2,030 4,790 2,100 — 10,250 
			 Public Guardianships Office .. 10 10 80 30 110 50 10 — 310 
			 HM Land Registry 40 190 160 430 1,850 3,340 2,440 490 — 8,940 
			 Department of Trade and Industry 250 280 690 440 1,180 950 930 190 70 4,970 
			 Companies House .. .. 20 30 80 190 540 280 — 1,130 
			 Employment Tribunals Service .. .. 10 30 20 130 530 — — 720 
			 Insolvency Service .. 10 60 160 370 200 510 170 .. 1,490 
			 Nat Weights and Measures Lab .. .. 10 10 20 10 10 .. — 60 
			 Patent Office 30 10 110 110 280 110 280 110 — 1,020 
			 Radiocommunications Agency 10 20 30 60 140 190 130 20 — 590 
			 SBS 10 20 40 20 70 50 50 10 — 270 
			 ACAS 10 20 50 200 310 190 120 .. — 900 
			 ECGD 20 10 60 40 100 70 60 20 — 390 
			 DVLA .. 30 40 110 310 660 2,600 1,920 — 5,660 
			 DSA .. 10 20 30 130 1,530 140 370 — 2,220 
			 Highways Agency 30 50 200 590 180 370 300 30 — 1,750 
			 Planning Inspectorate 10 200 100 40 70 110 140 60 .. 740 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency .. — 10 20 30 10 30 10 — 110 
			 Vehicle Inspectorate .. 10 30 90 230 1,280 540 200 160 2,530 
			 Health and Safety Executive 50 130 630 1,290 620 530 1,020 — — 4,260 
			 OFWAT 10 10 10 100 .. 10 100 — — 240 
			 OS 10 20 50 160 350 930 260 — 10 1,780 
			 DfT 80 30 270 220 420 400 450 70 — 1,940 
			 HM Treasury 90 — 270 340 — 140 170 20 .. 1,040 
			 Customs and Excise 100 140 400 1,760 5,340 7,950 5,510 1,750 .. 22,950 
			 GAD 30 .. 10 .. 30 10 10 .. — 100 
			 Inland Revenue 270 1,000 1,930 2,430 6,930 16,730 32,240 17,070 .. 78,610 
			 Valuation Office 10 80 300 790 880 900 300 970 .. 4,230 
			 ONS 40 30 240 230 650 810 1,140 330 .. 3,470 
			 Royal Mint .. 10 10 20 120 60 80 10 500 810 
			 DWP 130 190 600 860 2t240 5,420 7,580 3,170 — 20,190 
			 Child Support Agency 10 20 60 110 470 2,760 7,680 1,240 — 12,360 
			 Pension Services 20 50 60 180 730 4,740 10,780 1,460 — 18,000 
			 Northern Ireland Office 30 — 30 10 40 40 30 30 — 190 
			 Privy Council Office .. — .. — .. 10 10 .. — 30 
			 Scottish Executive 180 — 630 — — 2,190 1,500 — — 4,500 
			 Fisheries Research Services .. — 30 — .. 200 100 — — 330 
			 HM Inspectorate of Education 10 — 80 — — 10 60 — — 160 
			 Scottish Agricultural Scientific Agency .. — 20 .. — 60 60 — — 140 
			 Scottish Courts Service .. 10 20 70 90 250 290 280 — 1,000 
			 Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency .. — 30 — — 150 60 — 30 270 
			 Scottish Prison Service 10 10 30 80 680 2,050 1,410 260 .. 4,530 
			 Scottish Office Pensions Agency .. — .. — — 60 180 — — 240 
			 Student Awards Agency Scotland — .. .. — — 30 100 — — 130 
			 Crown Office and PFS 50 30 110 250 180 140 700 .. — 1,450 
			 General Register Office [Scotland] .. .. 10 — — 100 120 — — 220 
			 National Archive for Scotland .. — 10 — — 50 90 — — 150 
			 Office SOS for Scotland 10 — 30 — — 30 40 — — 100 
			 Registers of Scotland .. — 30 60 270 440 360 210 — 1,370 
			 National Assembly for Wales 90 40 270 290 750 840 840 370 10 3,500 
			 Cadw .. .. 10 10 20 40 90 10 50 230 
			 OHMCI .. 50 — .. 10 10 10 .. — 90 
			 Wales Office .. .. 10 .. 10 10 10 10 .. 50 
		
	
	Source:
	Data has been extracted from Mandate with exception of Cabinet Office which is separately supplied.
	
		Permanent staff in Post by Department and Responsibility Level as at 1January 1997 and 1April 2003 -- 1 January 1997Headcount
		
			 Department SCS Level Grade 6 Grade 7 SEO HEO EO AO AA Other Total 
		
		
			 Cabinet Office 100 50 220 120 220 420 480 260 20 1,890 
			 Security and Intelligence Services 30 40 150 400 960 2,020 910 530 — 5,030 
			 DCMS 20 10 50 90 .. 70 70 30 .. 340 
			 MAFF 100 110 300 590 850 1,260 1,600 1,300 120 6,230 
			 ADAS 20 30 150 360 470 170 360 30 90 1,670 
			 Pesticide Safety Directorate .. .. 20 30 60 40 20 20 — 200 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency .. 10 40 120 80 160 340 270 .. 1,020 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate .. .. 20 20 10 20 20 20 — 100 
			 IBAP 10 .. 20 40 110 220 420 130 — 960 
			 Home Office 110 60 410 490 1,350 3,490 1,890 1,260 60 9,150 
			 Forensic Science Service .. 10 70 130 160 170 240 90 — 860 
			 Passport Records Agency .. .. 10 10 50 170 600 690 — 1,530 
			 HM Prison Service 70 160 460 660 1,090 3,970 24,500 5,260 2,820 39,000 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 50 170 540 1,360 390 1,330 1,340 850 .. 6,030 
			 Legal Secretariat 10 .. .. — .. .. 10 .. — 20 
			 Treasury Solictors Department 40 60 80 20 30 60 60 20 .. 380 
			 Government Property Lawyers (TSOL) 10 20 20 10 10 20 30 10 — 110 
			 LCD 40 30 90 70 190 210 190 80 .. 880 
			 Court Service 20 20 110 220 730 1,940 4,710 2,160 — 9,920 
			 Public Guardianships Office .. 10 10 30 90 170 190 60 — 560 
			 HM Land Registry 30 140 50 290 550 2,340 3,250 1,830 — 8,470 
			 Public Record Office .. .. 20 40 50 80 120 130 .. 440 
			 Department. of Trade and Industry 210 110 640 360 970 1,060 1,350 570  5,270 
			 Companies House 10 — 10 20 60 130 350 350 — 930 
			 Insolvency Service .. 10 60 110 350 210 360 240 — 1,340 
			 Nat Weights and Measures Lab .. — .. 10 10 10 10 .. — 50 
			 Patent Office 30 10 140 80 50 140 190 120 — 740 
			 Radiocommunications Agency 10 10 30 60 100 180 90 50 — 520 
			 ACAS 10 10 20 110 220 60 150 30 — 590 
			 ECGD 10 .. 40 30 90 100 80 50 30 440 
			 Office of Fair Trading 10 .. 50 20 70 110 90 50 — 400 
			 OFGAS 10 .. 10 10 20 30 10 10 — 100 
			 OFER 10 .. 30 10 50 50 50 30 — 240 
			 DOE (exc. PSA) 130 60 450 270 600 700 760 290 — 3,270 
			 Building Research Estab 10 20 110 150 — 170 110 60 .. 630 
			 DVLA .. 20 20 40 150 400 1,570 1,630 .. 3,830 
			 DSA .. .. 10 20 130 1,450 130 460 — 2,200 
			 Fire Service College .. .. 10 10 30 20 40 30 50 180 
			 Highways Agency 30 40 180 330 270 340 370 110 .. 1,670 
			 QEII Conference Centre .. .. .. 10 .. 10 20 10 — 60 
			 Vehicle Inspectorate — .. 20 50 150 720 210 240 200 1,580 
			 Health and Safety Executive 90 130 580 1,100 450 430 830 560 — 4,160 
			 OFWAT 10 10 10 10 30 50 50 20 — 190 
			 HM Treasury 80 10 160 250 — 130 250 70 .. 950 
			 National Investment and Loans Office .. — .. .. 10 10 10 .. — 30 
			 GCIS (CCTA) .. 10 30 50 30 20 30 .. .. 170 
			 GAD 30 .. .. .. 20 10 10 .. — 80 
			 Inland Revenue 220 750 1,850 1,500 5,170 11,710 17,900 14,030 — 53,120 
			 Contributions Agency .. 10 40 100 420 2,200 3,330 1,610 — 7,710 
			 Valuation Office 20 130 290 730 660 790 790 1,140 — 4,550 
			 ONS 30 20 160 170 470 750 1,060 420 .. 3,080 
			 Registry of Friendly Societies 10 10 20 20 20 40 40 20 .. 170 
			 Royal Mint 10 10 10 20 100 100 100 30 620 990 
			 Department of Social Security 80 60 200 150 520 560 760 510 — 2,830 
			 Benefits Agency 20 280 190 480 2,550 19,160 42,830 13,390 — 78,900 
			 Child Support Agency .. 10 30 90 350 2,170 4,330 990 — 7,960 
			 IT Services Agency 10 20 80 240 490 650 450 70 — 2,000 
			 Northern Ireland Office 20 .. 20 10 30 40 40 50 — 210 
			 Privy Council Office .. — .. .. .. 10 10 .. — 30 
			 Lord Advocates Department 10 .. — — .. .. 10 .. — 20 
			 Crown Office and PFS 50 210 .. 10 50 150 250 390 20 1,140 
			 Registers of Scotland .. .. 20 50 190 430 210 230 .. 1,140 
			 National Assembly for Wales 60 20 130 110 280 470 480 420 20 1,990 
			 Cadw .. .. 10 10 20 30 40 10 60 180 
			 OHMCI 10 30 .. .. —  10 .. — 60 
		
	
	Source:
	The data have been extracted from Mandate with the exception of Cabinet Office data which are an estimate based on historical unpublished data.
	Tuesday 10 February 2004

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Church Repairs (VAT)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners whether a Church of England cathedral entering into bankruptcy can reclaim VAT paid on church repairs.

Stuart Bell: Under the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme—whose extension until March 2006 the Church of England and other UK faith groups welcome—listed churches and cathedrals can recover the equivalent of 12.5 per cent. on the cost of repairs carried out to those buildings after April 2001, in effect reducing the VAT burden to 5 per cent. The grant scheme makes no special provision in respect of bankruptcy.
	On the question of the interaction of the bankruptcy laws and the law relating to charitable corporations such as cathedrals, I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for the City of York (Mr. Bayley) on 2 February 2004.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her best estimate is of the staff time costs in replacing stolen, lost and damaged traps used in the operational Krebs triplets areas.

Ben Bradshaw: It is not possible to quantify the staff input into individual components of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial.
	For the average number of field staff employed in operations associated with the culling trial, and total cost of the Wildlife Unit by financial year, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 22 January 2004, Official Report, column 1366W.

Fallen Stock

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to farmers in Lancashire for disposal of fallen cattle stock will be.

Ben Bradshaw: No assessment has been made of costs to Lancashire farmers. However, we recognise that many livestock farmers will face increased costs as a result of the ban on on-farm burial of fallen stock. That is why the Government and the farming industry are working together to set up a voluntary low cost national scheme which will assist farmers in meeting those costs.

Fallen Stock

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how long the subsidy for the removal of fallen stock will last.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra and the devolved Administrations will subsidise the National Fallen Stock Scheme on a digressive basis for its first three years of operation only. Thereafter, the scheme will be expected to be self-financing.

Fish (Toxic Chemicals)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what tests are carried out and with what regularity for the accumulation of toxic chemicals in (a) fresh water fish, (b) saltwater fish and (c) shellfish landed in England.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not carry out regular testing for the accumulation of toxic chemicals in landed fish and shellfish. However, the Food Standards Agency carries out periodic surveys of species of fish and shellfish used as food, taken from retail sources, markets or from producers. Analysis for contaminants such as organic chemicals and metals is undertaken as the need arises.
	The Environment Agency and CEFAS 1 carry out monitoring under the National Maritime Monitoring Programme (NMMP) of marine fish and shellfish for a number of hazardous substances. These include regular monitoring for lead, mercury, cadmium, organochlorines and pesticide residues, and special surveys on particular substances of concern where information is needed. In addition the Agency monitors shellfish waters and shellfish in accordance with the requirements of the Shellfish Waters Directive (79/923) for a similar range of hazardous substances, PCBs and faecal coliform levels. The Environment Agency does not routinely monitor freshwater fish for toxic chemicals but it does commission reports in response to identified areas of particular concern.
	1 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

Fisheries

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the effect on younger fish in a fishery where the stocks are significantly below the optimum economic carrying capacity of a relatively high proportion of large cod, where all other factors are constant.

Ben Bradshaw: The effect of this factor is likely to be very small, because the proportion of large cod in the North Sea cod stock is actually very low, and large cod do not usually compete with small cod for the same species or size of food organisms, so that releasing adult food does not necessarily benefit small fish.

Fisheries

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what escape behaviour (a) haddock and (b) whiting exhibit to avoid towing gear.

Ben Bradshaw: Most fish (including haddock and whiting) tend to be herded to the mouth of the net. Once at or near to the mouth of the trawl the fish turn and swim in the same direction as the trawl for a period of time.
	When a fish becomes tired it usually will fall back into the trawl cod end. In falling back into the trawl, haddock tend to rise upwards as well as backwards. Whiting also tend to rise up when falling back but not as far as haddock.
	Many fish will also swim for a period inside the cod end. Both whiting and haddock will actively try and escape through large meshes or escape panels if they are fitted in or near to the cod end and if the fish have the energy to do so.

Fisheries

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the ground gear specifications are for a GOV trawl.

Ben Bradshaw: The GOV trawl is a general purpose trawl with a high headline of 5–6 metres. The design, specification and operation of the GOV trawl are agreed internationally and co-ordinated by International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

Fisheries

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the relationship is between the size of herring stocks and the health of cod fisheries in the North Sea, with reference to (a) the fishing effort directed at and (b) stock levels of sand eels.

Ben Bradshaw: The North Sea herring stock collapsed because of the very high rate of fishing by the unregulated herring fishery in the 1960s, but recovered quite rapidly when the fishery was closed. The herring collapsed well before the principal increase in sandeel fishing effort. The main factor in the decline of the cod stock since the 1970s is the high fishing rate on cod, coupled with reduced cod recruitment since the 1980s. This occurred during a period when sandeel abundance fluctuated but did not decline.

Fisheries

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the safety implications arising from the designation of the restricted fishing area in the North Sea in respect of vessels being required to dump haddock catch when they enter the area to avoid bad weather.

Ben Bradshaw: The cod protection area established at the December 2003 Council does not cover waters within 12 miles of the coast and thus excludes the areas in which vessels in bad weather are mostly likely to seek refuge; any vessels with a special haddock permit that do seek refuge in the offshore cod protection area will be required to cease their fishing activities until they have left the area again, but they will not be required to dump their haddock catch.

Poultry Imports

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many EU countries refuse to import infected chicken, broken down by disease; what plans the UK has to ban the import of infected chickens; and what measures she is taking to ensure that no infected chickens are imported into the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: Under EU law neither chickens nor chicken meat infected with any disease to which poultry is susceptible may be imported into any member state. All chickens and chicken meat imported into the EU must undergo veterinary checks at an approved Border Inspection Post before import is allowed, to ensure that the import requirements have been complied with.
	In view of the outbreaks of Avian Influenza in several South Asian countries, the Government have, as an additional precaution, specifically banned import from all the affected countries of all live birds, unprocessed poultry meat (other than poultry meat from Thailand certified as produced from animals slaughtered before 1 January 2004), and other bird products capable of transmitting the avian influenza virus.

Ridgeway

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost of introducing a single Traffic Restriction Order (TRO) for all those parts of the whole Ridgeway where she and the relevant local authorities have agreed that such a TRO would be appropriate; and what estimate she has made of the total cost were each local authority to impose a separate TRO for its own section of the Ridgeway.

Alun Michael: The costs of Traffic Regulation Orders vary considerably depending on the number and type of objections and whether public inquiries are held. The costs of introducing a single Traffic Regulation Order, as opposed to individual Traffic Regulation Orders on the Ridgeway, cannot be estimated with any certainty. In any event, we think it right that responsibility for such Orders rests generally with local authorities.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bangladesh

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Bangladesh over the persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We are concerned about the situation of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Bangladesh, and raise this regularly with the Bangladeshi Government. I discussed the issue with the High Commissioner for Bangladesh in London on 22 January. I also met representatives of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (UK) on 29 January to hear their concerns. Our High Commissioner in Dhaka raised the issue with the State Minister for Foreign Affairs on 22 and 30 December 2003, and the EU troika raised it with the State Minister on 23 December 2003. Our High Commission in Dhaka is monitoring the situation closely, and we will continue to raise the issue when appropriate.

Boulos Rezek-Allah

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Egyptian Foreign Minister and (b) the Egyptian Ambassador to the Court of St. James's in connection with the treatment of Mr. Boulos Rezek-Allah.

Bill Rammell: None. However officials from the British Embassy in Cairo have discussed religious issues with the Coptic Church in Egypt and raised our concerns with the Egyptian authorities where appropriate.

Eritrea

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation of Christians in Eritrea, with particular reference to Evangelicals.

Chris Mullin: We are concerned about the restrictions on religious freedom in Eritrea. I raised this issue most recently with the government of Eritrea during my visit to Asmara from 13 to 14 January. I also raised it with the Eritrean Foreign Minister and the Eritrean Ambassador in London last December. Our Ambassador in Asmara raises the issue regularly, both bilaterally and in conjunction with our EU partners.

EU Enlargement

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the EU to negotiate with (a) Ukraine and (b) Russia in relation to loss of markets arising from accession of the 10 new member states.

Denis MacShane: We expect that Russian and Ukrainian exporters will benefit significantly from access to the markets of the enlarged EU and that Russia and Ukraine will experience an overall increase in levels of trade.
	The EU has regular meetings with Russia and Ukraine within the framework of the EU/Russia and EU/Ukraine Partnership and Co-operation Agreements. Both Russia and Ukraine have raised the matter of trade relations with the enlarged EU during recent talks, and the EU has undertaken to address their concerns in this area.

EU Enlargement

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which EU member states have agreed to unrestricted admission of workers from the newly joining states from May.

Denis MacShane: After Accession on 1 May, nationals from the 10 new EU member states will be able to travel freely throughout the EU. However, except for nationals of Malta and Cyprus, they will not automatically be allowed to work in the existing member states. Those existing member states may open their labour markets to nationals from the new member states if they so choose. The Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Denmark and the UK have said that they will do this.
	Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands have subsequently set out certain conditions for workers for accession states to enjoy this freedom. In the case of Sweden and the Netherlands these proposals remain under discussion and have yet to be implemented.
	Italy and Portugal have yet to decide whether, when or how to grant free movement of workers from the new member states.
	We are right to open up the UK labour market to those who genuinely want to come here and work. It makes sense for citizens of the new member states to be able to work and contribute to our economy and pay taxes. They will expand the range of skills and supply of workers in the UK economy; and be able to work here legally, paying taxes and national insurance, not confined to the black market.
	As stated in the Explanatory Memorandum for the European Union (Accessions) Act 2003 (Command Paper 5805), safeguards are available if in the event that there are "disturbances to the labour market which could seriously threaten the standard of living or level of employment in a given region or occupation".

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the areas where the Government has identified an inaccurate or false declaration by the former Iraqi Government in the declaration on its proscribed weapons of mass destruction programmes submitted to the United Nations Security Council on 7 December 2002, specifying the page number in each case.

Denis MacShane: A careful examination of Iraq's declaration was undertaken in December 2002 and January 2003 and its contents were compared with the outstanding disarmament issues reported by UNSCOM upon their withdrawal from Iraq and against intelligence assessments available at the time. The results of this examination showed that there was no new information contained in the declaration, and that it therefore failed to address any of the outstanding issues. This failure was borne out by subsequent discoveries by UNMOVIC inspection teams in early 2003, and later by the Iraq Survey Group.
	The Iraqi Declaration itself remains a document confidential to the United Nations Security Council. It would not, therefore, be appropriate to go into the detail of the specific contents of any part of the declaration. Huge quantities of documents remain to be translated.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) content and (b) implications of the resignation speech of Dr. David Kay as the leader of the Iraq Survey Group.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced that an inquiry will be instigated to look into the question of the intelligence received concerning Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and how it was interpreted. Dr. Kay's statement will clearly be of interest to the inquiry.

Iraq

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the legal personality is of the Coalition Provisional Authority; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: As noted in Security Council Resolution 1483 of 22 May 2003, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was established to exercise the specific authorities, responsibilities and obligations under international law of the occupying powers. The authority of the CPA is set out in CPA Regulation No. 1, copies of which will be placed in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what capacity and on whose behalf UK secondees to the Coalition Provisional Authority are acting; who pays their (a) salaries and (b) expenses; to whom they are answerable for their activities; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: Staff seconded by HMG to the Coalition Provisional Authority are working in several areas of governance, assisting in reconstruction and building Iraqi government capacity. They are acting on behalf of the Coalition Provisional Authority. They remain answerable to HMG for what they do. HMG pays their salaries, travel costs and other incidental expenses. The US government funds the provision of food and other basic services to all Coalition Provisional Authority staff.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many technically trained Arabic speakers are members of the Iraq Survey Group; how many of the Arabic speakers are from the United Kingdom; and what estimate he has made of how long it will take to translate each of the documents obtained by the ISG on Iraq's military programmes that are deemed relevant to weapons of mass destruction.

Denis MacShane: There are currently 320 technically-trained Arabic speakers with the Iraq Survey Group, of whom three are from the United Kingdom.
	The Iraq Survey Group is still collecting documents. The time that it will take to translate such documents will vary according to the condition of any such documents and whether they are hand-written or typed. The best estimate available is that translation will take on average one hour per page of text. It is not possible, however, to give any firm indication of how long any translation work might take or of what the eventual total volume of documents requiring translation might be.

Iraq

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are in place to ensure that women will be fairly represented in the first Iraqi parliament.

Bill Rammell: The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) is overseeing the drafting of a Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) to be completed by the end of February 2004. We are encouraging the IGC to ensure that the TAL includes provisions for the fair representation of women in the Transitional National Assembly.

Iraq

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether gender criteria will be applied to the selection of candidates for the forthcoming Iraqi parliament.

Bill Rammell: This is a matter for the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC), which is overseeing the drafting of a Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) to include criteria for the selection of candidates to the Transitional National Assembly (TNA). We are encouraging the IGC to use the TAL to promote the fair representation of women in the TNA.

Iraq

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date he first became aware to which Iraqi weapons the 45-minutes claim in the Iraq weapons of mass destruction dossier applied.

Jack Straw: I first became aware of 'the 45-minute claim' when I read early drafts of the Government's dossier and the Joint Intelligence Committee's assessment dated 9 September 2002. The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) in their report of 9 September 2003 (CM 5972) published, at paragraph 50, the relevant passage from the assessment. This stated: "Intelligence also indicates that chemical and biological munitions could be with military units and ready for firing within 20–45 minutes." The ISC also commented (para 57): "The JIC did not know precisely which munitions could be deployed from where to where and the context of the intelligence was not included in the JIC Assessment". I became aware that the intelligence behind this assessment referred to battlefield weapons in June 2003.

Nigeria

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Nigeria's development of nuclear ballistic missiles.

Denis MacShane: The Government is concerned at reports of Nigerian interest in procuring ballistic missiles and associated technology. We have made our concerns known to the Nigerian Government. With our partners, we continue to work towards halting the proliferation of such weapons and programmes.

North Korea

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to North Korea about human rights.

Bill Rammell: We are very concerned about reports of serious human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and raise the issue regularly with the DPRK authorities. We encourage DPRK to comply with the recommendations set out in the Resolution adopted at last year's UN Commission on Human Rights. Most recently, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials raised human rights with DPRK diplomats on 2 February.

North Korea

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit North Korea.

Bill Rammell: Foreign engagements for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel and occasionally not until they are under way.

North Korea

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of North Korea about their (a) ownership and (b) testing of (i) chemical and (ii) biological weapons.

Bill Rammell: As a State Party to the Biological Weapons Convention, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is obliged to comply with the ban on developing, testing and stockpiling biological and toxin weapons. DPRK is not a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention, but the EU has recently urged all non-signatories, including DPRK, to accede immediately. We have also recently raised reports of chemical testing on DPRK prisoners with DPRK Embassy officials. We are committed to combating the proliferation of WMD wherever it may occur, and will continue to urge the DPRK to comply with its international obligations.

Pakistan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Pakistan about the recent revelations by Abdul Qadeer Khan on his disclosure of nuclear weapons secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

Bill Rammell: There has, so far, not been any appropriate opportunity for any detailed discussion of this issue with the Government of Pakistan.
	We welcome assurances given by the President and the Government of Pakistan that Pakistan will not be involved in any proliferation of nuclear weapons technology.

Pakistan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the announcement by Abdul Qadeer Khan that he has passed on nuclear weapons technology.

Bill Rammell: The Government condemns the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology from any source.
	We welcome the fact that this route for the proliferation of nuclear technology suitable for the production of fissile material has been closed off. Government counter-proliferation experts continue to assess the impact of Dr. Khan's announcement.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make an assessment of the human rights situation in the Sudan.

Chris Mullin: We monitor closely the human rights situation in Sudan. The application of "Hudud" (amputation) punishments and suppression of freedom of the press are issues that we raise regularly with the government. But we are also particularly concerned by reports of human rights abuses in Darfur, western Sudan, where fighting continues.
	The promotion of human rights through advocacy with the government and support for Non Governmental Organisations remains one of our priorities. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development discussed the human rights situation with the President of Sudan and others during his visit to Khartoum on 10 December 2003.

Uganda

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the situation in Uganda; what recent representations he has made with regard to (a) the pace of democratisation and the introduction of multi party democracy, (b) the need for a political solution to the war against the Lord's Resistance Army, (c) ending the use of child soldiers, (d) ending the use of illegal detention centres, (e) ending the use of special military tribunals to try civilian opponents of the Government, (f) ending Uganda's role in training and arming militia armies in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the internal tribal militias and (g) bringing State security organisations under parliamentary supervision; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We are encouraging the Government of Uganda to open up political space and look forward to publication of the Constitutional Review Commission's recommendations for political change.
	We regularly urge President Museveni to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). We deeply deplore the use of child soldiers by the LRA. We are also concerned at UN reports that the Ugandan army has been recruiting underage soldiers. We have recently raised this issue with senior army commanders.
	We are aware of reports of incidences of arbitrary arrest and the lack of due legal process, especially in northern Uganda. We take seriously reports of human rights abuses, including harassment of the opposition and raise our concerns with the Ugandan authorities. The EU regularly raises alleged Government use of detention centres.
	We welcomed Ugandan withdrawal of its remaining troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 2 June, in compliance with UNSCR 1468 (2003). The UK urges all neighbouring states to support the Transitional National Government and not to interfere in the DRC peace process.
	We and EU partners regularly press the Ugandan Government to ensure due process of law and that state security agencies are subject to the proper scrutiny.

Ukraine

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Ukraine.

Denis MacShane: The Ukrainian Foreign Minister called on my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 12 January. During their talks, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister extended an invitation to the Foreign Secretary to visit Ukraine. Foreign engagements for the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel and occasionally not until they are under way.
	I had a useful and productive visit to Ukraine last September, details of which were carried on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (www.fco.gov.uk).

TRANSPORT

Anti-terrorist Measures

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures are being taken to improve the screening of freight containers for terrorist material.

David Jamieson: The United Kingdom has a comprehensive security regime in place that it designed to protect the public while minimising the effect on trade and freedom of movement.
	My Department works closely with HM Customs and Excise and others to enhance the existing security provisions relating to freight containers. For obvious reasons, it is not our practice to provide details of these measures. As part of this process the UK has signed up the US Container Security Initiative, whereby intelligence is shared between US and host nation Customs' officials. This operation is running in 19 countries and is proving very effective.
	Our existing national regime will be augmented later this year with the implementation of the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) global maritime security regime, and within this the UK has identified containerised freight as being an area of specific interest.

BAe 146 Aircraft

Paul Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 18 December 2003, Official Report, column 1010W, on BAe 146 aircraft, whether he expects the Air Accident Investigation Branch to publish in February its report of the investigation of a series of cabin air quality incidents involving BAe 146 aircraft and other similar incidents.

Tony McNulty: The Air Accident Investigation Branch intends to publish its report shortly.

Central Railway

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a further statement on (a) the Government's policy on the Central Railway project and (b) the timescale for Ministers to consider and decide upon the request by Central Railway plc for the Government to support a hybrid bill.

Tony McNulty: No timetable has been set. We are considering Central Railway's proposals carefully and will respond in due course.

M20

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Highways Agency last assessed the skid resistance of the M20 from junctions 3 to 5; and whether the results determined when future resurfacing would take place.

David Jamieson: The skid resistance of the M20 from junctions 3 to 5 was reassessed in 2003 and results indicated that the surfacing meets the skidding resistance standard. This section of the M20 was resurfaced in 1999 with a new thin surface, as part of the Highways Agency's quieter surfacing programme on concrete carriageways. The Highways Agency would expect the surface to have a life in excess of eight years.

Ministerial Meetings

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates Ministers in his Department have held meetings with members and officials of the United States Administration since 1 January 2003; where each meeting was held; which Ministers were involved in each meeting; which United States Administration department attended each meeting; and which members and officials from the United States Administration attended each of these meetings.

Tony McNulty: Ministers in the Department for Transport have not had any meetings with members and officials of the United States Administration since 1 January 2003.

Railways

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of train rolling stock leasing expenditure goes to profit.

Tony McNulty: The contractual terms agreed between the rolling stock leasing companies (ROSCOs) and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) do not cover profit levels. The reporting of profits is a matter for the ROSCOs themselves.

Railways

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what representations he has received on (a) financing methods for and (b) the cost of new train rolling stock;
	(2)  what changes he plans to the supervision of the train rolling stock leasing market.

Tony McNulty: The review of the railway industry announced by the Secretary of State on 19 January is directed specifically at the control of costs and the possibility of structural change. Rolling stock leasing arrangements will be among the issues to be considered as part of the review.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

British Federation of Film Societies

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what funding was received by the British Federation of Film Societies from the UK Film Council in each year from 1997;
	(2)  what the planned funding to the British Federation of Film Societies from the UK Film Council is for each year until 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: The UK Film Council has awarded the British Federation of Film Societies (BFFS) £100,000 for each of the years 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04. Prior to this, the BFFS received funding from the British Film Institute.
	The UK Film Council has recently completed an extensive consultation on its funding and policy priorities for April 2004 to March 2007. The consultation document, "Three Years On", proposes that the UK Film Council continues to fund the BFFS at £100,000 per annum until 2006–07. The continuation of this funding would be dependent on a year-by-year assessment of the BFFS' performance against agreed performance targets relating to diversity and inclusion.

Golden Jubilee

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public money was spent on the Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Richard Caborn: The provisional figure for the amount of public money spent on the Golden Jubilee celebrations is £14.9 million.

Licensing Act

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department will issue working guidelines on the implementation of the Licensing Act 2003.

Richard Caborn: Statutory Guidance is to be issued to licensing authorities under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003. This section requires that a draft of the Guidance must be laid before, and approved by resolution of, each House of Parliament before it is issued. The statutory Guidance will be laid before Parliament shortly for its approval.

Lotteries

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the rationale was for the decision not to abolish the maximum stake for lotteries.

Estelle Morris: The draft Gambling Bill removes restrictions on the size of stake in society lotteries, subject to the overriding principle that every ticket in the same lottery should cost the same, as recommended by the Gambling Review Body. In 2002 we doubled the legal limits on the size of prizes and on the maximum proceeds in society lotteries. But the draft Bill provides for such limits to remain, since removing them altogether would allow society lotteries to compete head-to-head with the National Lottery, which would potentially reduce both the overall size of prize pools and amounts raised for good causes.

Lotteries

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to bring the regulation of prize competitions into line with that of society lotteries.

Estelle Morris: We announced the outcome of our consultation about the law on prize competitions and lotteries on 5 June 2003. We do not intend that prize competitions should be regulated in the same way as society lotteries. The law must however provide for a clear and enforceable distinction between the two and the draft Gambling Bill that we published in November contains legal tests that should enable this distinction to be made.
	Copies of our statement, of the draft Bill and its accompanying documents are in the Libraries of both Houses.

Olympic Games Bid

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will discuss with Sport England the use of Rivington in the Chorley constituency for (a) cycling, (b) road racing, (c) mountain biking and (d) individual time trials as part of the 2012 Olympic Games bid.

Tessa Jowell: The bidding company, London 2012, is responsible for selecting the venues for the bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games and these were announced on 16 January. They were chosen to best fit the needs of the athletes, the Olympic Sports Federations and the requirements of the International Olympic Committee. Should the bid succeed, sporting facilities across the UK will have the opportunity to be used by national teams for training camps.

Public Service Broadcasting

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what plans she has to hold meetings with broadcasters to encourage them to provide viewing cards for digital access to public service broadcasting channels; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans her Department has to monitor the availability of free-to-view channels to satellite customers who do not subscribe to pay-to-view services; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: This is primarily a matter for the broadcasters. Until May last year, the BBC paid for 'solus' viewing cards enabling customers who did not wish to pay a subscription to receive the public service broadcasting channels by satellite. However, following the move of its broadcast services to a new satellite, all of the BBC's digital channels are now available via satellite without the need for a viewing card. It has therefore stopped paying for the provision of solus cards.
	Following representations from the Government, an agreement was reached between the other main broadcasters and BSkyB to ensure that existing solus card viewers could continue receiving the other public service channels after their current cards expired in 2003. Viewers were able to purchase a new card, valid until at least 31 December 2005, for a one-off fee of 20 + VAT. This offer was extended until 31 January 2004.
	We understand that the broadcasters have no current plans to provide solus cards to new satellite customers. However, the Government remain committed to ensuring that analogue terrestrial broadcasting signals are maintained until everyone who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels (BBC1 and 2, ITV1, Channel 4/S4C and Five) can receive them free-to-view via at least one of the digital platforms.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Select Committees

Jon Trickett: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what his estimate is of the total amount of staff hours spent in 200304 in support of (a) select committees of the House other than the Committee of Public Accounts and (b) the Committee of Public Accounts; what the budget allocated to each is in 200304; and if he will make a statement.

Archy Kirkwood: I refer the hon. Member to Part 10 of the Sessional Return for 200203, which was published yesterday as House of Commons Paper 1 of this Session. This gives details of the staff who serve each committee. In addition, the Committee of Public Accounts is supported by the National Audit Office which has a staff of 811 in total. There is no budgetary allocation to individual committees; however, expenditure attributable to each committee appears in the Sessional Return.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Action for Southern Africa

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the decision to reject the funding application from Action for Southern Africa.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) was unsuccessful in securing a grant from the Development Awareness Fund last year for the following reasons.
	There was no real evidence that there was a demand for the project from the intended beneficiaries.
	The project relied too heavily on DFID funding (80 per cent.) and, at the time, of applying, the remaining 20 per cent. had not been secured from other donors.
	There were concerns that the target audiences were spread too widely and as a consequence, the messages conveyed would lack focus.
	Feedback covering these concerns was given to ACTSA in May 2003 with an invitation to contact the Department with a view to working with them in the future.

Adam Smith Institute

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the purposes were of each of the contracts awarded by his Department to the Adam Smith Institute in each of the last four years.

Hilary Benn: The following table sets out the purpose of our contracts with Adam Smith International Ltd. in each of the last four years. All contracts with Adam Smith International Ltd. have been awarded and managed in line with DFID's standard procurement procedures.
	
		
			  Project title (Contract purpose) Country Current value(1) () 
		
		
			 1999 PR Unit Support For Parastatal Sector Reform Commission (PSRC) (Public Relations Unit) Tanzania 430,625 
			 1999 Privatisation Project Phase 3 and 4 Managing Consultant Guyana 1,718,736 
			 1999 Privatisation Agency Support Project Consultancy Zimbabwe 560,752 
			 1999 Technical Assistance for Public Enterprise Reform in Orissa India 3,667,571 
			 1999 Assistance to the Palestinian Negotiations Affairs Department West Bank and Gaza 9,131,555 
			 1999 Additional Support to the Privatisation Board Bangladesh 106,241 
			 1999 UK-Ireland Privatisation and Regulation Study Tour Tanzania 11,145 
			 1999 Medium Term Programme of Capacity Building for PURC (Public Utilities Regulatory Commission) Ghana 1,559,960 
			 1999 Initial Support to the Budgetary Processes of the Government of Macedonia Macedonia 44,315 
			 2000 Rehabilitation of Cyclone Damaged Lift Irrigation Points in Orissa India 1,296,327 
			 2000 Seminar on Export Credits and Developing Countries United Kingdom 102,594 
			 2000 Lead Adviser to Parastatal Sector Reform Commission (PSRC) Tanzania 229,966 
			 2000 Russia Trade Policy Project (Technical Support) Russia 1,199,986 
			 2001 Conference on Disinvestment (Organisation of Conference) India 70,000 
			 2001 Support for Public Sector Undertaking Reforms and Social Safety Net in Madhya Pradesh India 80,000 
			 2001 PSRC: Water Privatisation and Regulation Study Tour (Parastatal Sector Reform Commission) Tanzania 54,924 
			 2001 Communications Film for Department of Disinvestment India 89,500 
			 2001 Consultants for Standards, Technical Regulatory Barriers Programme (Problems of access to EU market experienced by developing countries) Global (Non Project Specific) 92,870 
			 2002 Trade Training for DFID Staff United Kingdom 20,075 
			 2002 Pilot Training and Capacity Building in International Watercourse Law Kyrgyz Republic 151,008 
			 2002 Trade Training for DFID StaffBangkok United Kingdom 32,328 
			 2002 Support for Capacity-Building in the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank Afghanistan 3,277,815 
			 2003 Support Services for Public Enterprise Restructuring in South Africa South Africa, Republic of 6,363,435 
			 2003 Support to Water Sector Regulation by PURC-Ghana (Public Utilities Regulatory Commission) Ghana 1,079,100 
			 2003 Andhra Pradesh Economic Restructuring Programme-Public Enterprise Reforms, Phase II India 416,435 
			 2003 Economic Support within 1st Military Division Hq Basra Iraq 55,510 
			 2003 Economic Development within 1st Military Division Hq Basra Iraq 119,848 
			 2003 Support to the Office of the Prime Minister and to the Cabinet Office, (capacity building support to the Palestinian National Authority) West Bank and Gaza 100,400 
			 2003 ITD-DFID Staff Training (International Trade Department) Global (Non Project Specific) 288,685 
			 2003 Asia Trade Consultancy (A paper for DFID on the regional trade issues in Asia) United Kingdom 44,200 
			 2003 International Lawyer within 1st Military Division Hq Basra Iraq 131,868 
			 2003 Economic Support to Coalition Provisional Authority South (CPAS) Iraq 111,255 
			 2003 Secondment of Negotiations Support Staff to the Office of Prime Minister West Bank and Gaza 75,800 
			 2003 Legal Adviser within Coalition Provisional Authority South (CPAS) Iraq 72,925 
		
	
	(1) Original contract value plus cost of any increases or extensions.

Burundi

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in the Kirundo region of Burundi.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Months of drought throughout 2003 have affected the 2004 agricultural season especially in the Bugabira and Ntega districts. 29,000 households in Bugabira district and 18,900 households in Ntega district and neighbouring zones of Kirundo are facing this problem. The Food and Agricultural Organisation field crops evaluation report informs us that beans, potatoes and maize have been strongly affected by the prolonged lack of rain. Cassava mosaic disease has affected the cultivation of cassava, one of the main foodstuffs.
	Humanitarian international NGOs and agencies working in the food security sector are looking at the situation. The World Food Programme is organising food distribution in Kirundo from 16 February. The Food and Agricultural Organisation has increased the number of Seeds Protection Rations beneficiaries from 15,000 to 24,000 households, set up the distribution of potato cuttings and is providing additional support to provincial committees working on local solutions to the cassava mosaic disease.

Liberia

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress is being made on the demobilisation of child soldiers in Liberia; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The United Nations estimates that there are approximately 15,000 Children Associated with Fighting Forces (CAFF) to be demobilised in Liberia. Currently, about 190 children have been demobilised and are held in four Interim Care Centres (ICCs), which will allow them to be separated from adult fighters, and where they will receive specialised care and assistance. The ICCs are positioned in Monrovia, Buchanan and Tubmanburg, and are run by Save the Children UK, Don Bosco Homes and Samaritan's Purse International Relief. UNICEF have recently arranged, with UNDP and UNMIL, for children at the ICCs to be formally demobilised and to be registered and issued with their Disarmament, Demobilisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DDRR) numbers. We understand that this exercise will start during the week of 9 February. We have provided 300,000 to UNICEF to establish five Interim Care Centres.

Liberia

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure long-term (a) economic stability (b) investment and (c) economic growth in Liberia.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The conditions for the establishment of long-term economic stability, investment and growth will depend on peace and security, and a successful programme, by the National Transition Government of Liberia (NTGL), of reconstruction. The recent, successful, Liberia Reconstruction Conference showed strong support from the international community for the Results Focussed Transition Framework, agreed by the NTGL and the international community as the basis for an extensive reconstruction programme.
	We have committed 6 million for Disarmament, Demobilisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DDRR); our share of EU programmes in 2003 and 2004 is about 13 million. These amounts are in addition to our contribution to humanitarian programmes of 10.6 million to date.

Palestinian Christians

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian efforts are being made to ensure that non-governmental organisations are able to support small Palestinian Christian communities in gaining access to food, water and medical treatment.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID, and the wider international community, have supported a wide range of initiatives to help meet the urgent needs of Palestinians, as economic and social conditions have seriously deteriorated. Helping maintain access to water, health, and relief services is a vital aspect of this. We and our partners target our support to Palestinians most in need, rather than specific communities. We work closely with a number of partners including the Palestinian Authority and local and international NGOs. Our support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency also plays a significant role in delivering basic services to refugees in many of the most disadvantaged communities.

Swaziland

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will break down by aid project the sum which his Department spent bilaterally in Swaziland in 200203.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID is currently supporting two projects in Swaziland through its bilateral programmea rural water supply programme (on which DFID spent 119,000 in 200203) and a programme of assistance to the Coalition of Non-Government Organisations (on which DFID spent 101,000 in 200203). During 200203 DFID also made payments totalling 222,000 on nine other bilateral projects which closed during that year.
	In addition to these payments, the published statistics for DFID support to Swaziland include other items such as payments made to non-government organisations through the Small Grants Scheme and Joint Funding Scheme, and contributions to the Commonwealth Scholarship scheme in respect of Swaziland.
	DFID is also supporting Swaziland through a number of regional initiatives. In particular, we are supporting work on HIV/AIDS, through the International Partnership against AIDS in Africa, and through the Southern African Development Community. Since this support is routed through regional organisations, it does not appear in the statistics for bilateral support to Swaziland.

Tuberculosis

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what plans he has to ensure the continuation of funding for treatment of tuberculosis in all high burden countries under the World Health Organisation DOTS treatment scheme;
	(2)  what plans he has to increase access to the World Health Organisation DOTS scheme; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what action he is taking to improve the rates of successful treatment of tuberculosis in high burden countries.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Tuberculosis (TB) is a preventable tragedy, yet it kills approximately two million people each year and continues to threaten health, prosperity and social stability. 92 per cent. of cases and deaths occur in low income and lower middle income countries. The World Health Organisation has set TB-control goals for 2005: to detect 70 per cent. of all new infectious TB cases worldwide and to successfully treat 85 per cent. of all cases detected. However, without a dramatic increase in the response, the international community will at best only achieve this target in 2013. Effective control will require concerted action at international and country levels to increase access to the WHO-recommended DOTS treatment strategy, which combines five elements: political commitment, microscopy services, drug supplies, surveillance and monitoring systems and use of highly efficacious regimes with direct observation of treatment. We work through the World Health Assembly and other channels to ensure that WHO appropriately prioritises the goal of increasing access to medicines for the poorest in line with the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals.
	DFID is committed to expanding the accessibility of diagnostic and treatment services for TB, particularly to poor communities and to women. The UK is a member of the co-ordinating Board of the global Stop TB partnership, and in 200203, we provided 0.99 million to the partnership, which included a contribution to the cost of the important evaluation of the Global TB Drug Facility (GDF).
	We also support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria as a new mechanism to complement existing initiatives for these diseases, and have pledged US$280 million through to 2008 to the Fund. The Global Fund has already approved grants totalling US$2.1 billion, which will be used to provide direct support to programmes in developing countries, including the treatment of TB in over 40 countries. Additionally, we fund TB Knowledge and Research Programmes at 1.3 million per year.
	To achieve the 2005 targets for DOTS implementation, the international community must address the broader health sector, including human resources for health, primary health care provision, private sector and corporate sector contributions, and working within poverty alleviation strategies. DFID has committed over 1.5 billion since 1997 to support the strengthening of health systems in developing countries.

Tuberculosis

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the Government gives India to combat tuberculosis.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Tuberculosis is a major health issue in India. Around 500,000 people die from TB each year, which disproportionately affects the poor. The Government are supporting the Government of India's programme to improve the provision of tuberculosis treatment services in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
	DFID is providing 20.5 million over five years, to bring about a sustainable improvement in the quality and effectiveness of TB services, ensuring that they are accessible to everyone, especially poor people. DFID funds are used to purchase drugs and microscopes, to train staff, to fund the World Health Organisation in providing technical support, and to improve management systems. The work in Andhra Pradesh, as well as that supported by other donors across India, is contributing to the development of a national policy framework for TB care.
	In addition, at international level the UK has pledged US$280 million through to 2008 to the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. These funds will be used to provide direct support to programmes in developing countries, including the treatment of TB. The Global Fund Board has approved proposals for TB programmes in India totalling $38 million.
	The UK is also an active member of the global Stop TB partnership which helps to raise the commitment and resources needed to expand, adapt and improve efforts to control and eliminate TB. In 200203 DFID provided 0.75 million to the partnership.

Zambia

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on cholera levels in Zambia.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: There have been 3,965 reported cases of cholera, and 196 recorded deaths from cholera in Zambia in 200304 so far.
	The Government have responded by establishing treatment centres in affected areas and mobilising drugs and personnel. Cholera awareness campaigns and contact tracing have been initiated and infection control measures stepped up. Other Government ministries have been mobilised. The Zambian armed forces will soon begin deliveries of safe water. Wells are being disinfected and free distribution of chlorine to disinfect water at the household level is planned.
	In 2003, DFID contributed to district health recurrent costs to the sum of 7.5 million, including the funding of epidemic preparedness plans. DFID is currently arranging for the purchase of needed chlorine. Other agencies supporting the response are WHO, UNICEF, Red Cross and MSF.

SCOTLAND

Scottish Economy

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the prospects for the Scottish economy.

Alistair Darling: The prospects for the Scottish economy are good. There is a growing consensus among business surveys pointing towards a continued strengthening of business activity in Scotland in both services and manufacturing. Furthermore, independent forecasters predict that the Scottish economy will experience above-trend growth in 2004 and 2005.

Cannabis

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he had with (a) the Scottish Executive and (b) the Home Office regarding assessment of cannabis street prices in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: Scottish Executive ministers keep in regular contact with their UK counterparts to ensure a co-ordinated approach to drugs related issues. Scottish police forces monitor the street prices of drugs across Scotland, which are subject to local variations and fluctuations, as in other parts of the UK.

Cannabis

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive about the reclassification of cannabis.

Anne McGuire: The legislation governing the classification of drugs is reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. The Home Office is working closely with the Scottish Executive to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the reclassification of cannabis, which took effect on 29 January.

Rail Services

Malcolm Savidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what issues relating to Scotland will be considered during the Rail Review.

Alistair Darling: Scotland will benefit from the Review looking at all aspects of improving the structure and organisation for Britain's railways. The Review should also look at how we can devolve more decisions on rail to Scotland.

Rail Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with Scottish Ministers regarding rail services in the Edinburgh area.

Alistair Darling: I have regular discussions with Scottish Executive Ministers on transport and my other responsibilities.

Higher Education

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received from the First Minister on higher education.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend has frequent exchanges with the First Minister on a range of issues, including higher education.

Electoral System

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the voting system used in elections for the Scottish Parliament.

Alistair Darling: I refer my hon. Friend to the announcement I made yesterday (9 February) during Second Reading of the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Bill on my proposal to establish a commission to review electoral arrangements in Scotland, including whether changes might be required regarding the method of voting in Scottish Parliament elections.

Population

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received on the projected decline of Scotland's population.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend has received no representations on this issue. Matters related to population projections for Scotland are for the Scottish Executive.
	Population projections for Scotland are made by the General Register Office for Scotland, an associated department of the Scottish Executive. 2002-based population projections for Scottish areas are available on its website at www.gro-scotland.gov.uk

Barnett Formula

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the future of the Barnett Formula.

Alistair Darling: No such discussions have taken place. The Government have no plans to replace or to review the Barnett formula. My right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, confirmed this in reply to an oral question on 13 November 2003, Official Report, columns 40102.

Postal Services/Post Offices

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has held with ministerial colleagues regarding the future of postal services and post offices in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a wide range of issues, including postal services in Scotland.

DEFENCE

Apache Helicopters

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much it costs to train a pilot to fly Apache helicopters; and how long the training takes.

Adam Ingram: The basic Conversion to Type course for qualified Army pilots on the Apache helicopter at the School of Army Aviation, Middle Wallop, is 26 weeks. A current estimate of cost for this course for one pilot (the course has yet to complete) is 600,000. Once qualified, pilots then progress to a Conversion to Role course which will take place at Dishforth and Wattisham, and is run by the Air Manoeuvre Training Advisory Team (AMTAT). This course is of 26 weeks duration and an estimate of cost is 550,000.

Army Leavers

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many commanding officers have been instructed to offer soldiers due to leave in September the opportunity to leave the Army up to nine months early.

Ivor Caplin: Approximately 270 Commanding Officers have been told that individuals who have already given notice to terminate their engagement before 30 September 2004 may be given the option to leave sooner if this is acceptable both to the individual and their unit. There will be no compulsion on any individual.

Aviation Noise

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to publish the study into helicopter noise at RAF Shawbury which began in summer 2002, carried out by the Centre of Aviation Medicine.

Adam Ingram: The study has just been completed and is due to be released on Friday 13 February 2004. I have asked for a copy to be sent to the hon. Member.

Aviation Noise

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to publish the report on military aviation noise conducted by the Directorate of Safety Environment and Fire Policy.

Ivor Caplin: It is planned to publish the report at Easter time.

Communications

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the reliability of secure satellite communications links available to the UK commanders during Operation Telic; what commercial facilities were utilised; and at what cost.

Adam Ingram: Secure satellite communications links provided to UK commanders during Operation Telic included both military links through the SKYNET system, and commercial links supporting the Operational Strategic CIS Architecture (OSCA). The overall reliability of secure satellite communications links was high. Some difficulties in maintaining strategic communications links did occur but these did not significantly affect the operational outcome.
	1.5 million was spent on acquiring the commercial satellite communications hardware for OSCA. A further 9.8 million has been incurred on communications services provided by Cable  Wireless and INMARSAT up to December 2003. The costs attributable to OSCA are included in the overall procurement and running costs for the system totalling 33 million up to December 2003.

Deaths in Service

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many service personnel who lost their lives accidentally in non-combat situations outside the UK in each year since 1990, are recorded as (a) deaths from road traffic accidents and (b) deaths from other accidents;
	(2)  how many service personnel who lost their lives in combat situations outside the UK in each year since 1990 are recorded as (a) killed in combat, (b) killed in friendly fire or other accidents, (c) self-inflicted deaths and (d) deaths from other causes;
	(3)  how many service personnel who lost their lives in non-combat situations outside the UK in each year since 1990, are recorded as (a) self-inflicted deaths, (b) accidental deaths and (c) deaths from other causes;
	(4)  how many service personnel have lost their lives outside the UK in each year since 1990; and how many of these are recorded as deaths in (a) combat situations and (b) non-combat situations.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Defence 2004

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budgeted cost was of the Defence 2004 display scheduled to be held at RAF Fairfield; how many troops were to have been involved; and if he will make a statement on its cancellation.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 5 February 2004
	The planned expenditure for Defence 2004, which was to have taken place during the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford (not Fairfield) in July, was 1.85 million. It would have required approximately 3,300 military personnel for up to a week.
	As I said in my written statement on 30 January 2004, Official Report, column 22WS, the decision to cancel Defence 2004 was taken because of the continued high level of operational commitments and the associated demands upon Service personnel and their families. The Services will, however, continue to fully support RIAT and we will be working closely with the RAF Benevolent Fund Enterprises who organise the event, to help ensure that RIAT continues its tradition of great success.

Defence Equipment

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks, (b) Warrior Armoured Personnel Carriers, (c) AS-90s and (d) Multiple Launch Rocket Systems are based in Germany.

Adam Ingram: There are currently 172 Challenger II Main Battle Tanks, 361 Warrior Vehicles (all variants) and 50 AS90 based in Germany. There are no Multiple Launch Rocket Systems based in Germany at this time.

Defence Finance

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the planned funding in cash terms is for each of his Department's management groups for financial years 200304 to 200607;
	(2)  what the planned funding is in cash terms for his Department's executive agencies for financial years 200304 to 200607.

Adam Ingram: Since the introduction of Resource Accounting and Budgeting, the Department has required its Management Groupings (including on-vote agencies) to construct their plans on a resource basis, rather than in cash terms. Spending Review 2002 set out the Departmental Expenditure Limit in resource terms for the years 200203 to 200506. Figures for 20067 will be agreed during Spending Review 2005.
	Cash requirements are planned and accounted for at Departmental rather than Management Grouping level and details of the Net Cash Requirement for FY2003/4 can be found in the Central Government Supply Estimates 200304 (HC648 Main Supply Estimates and HC15 Winter Supplementary Estimate).

Departmental Reports and Accounts

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the dates of publication of (a) the annual report and accounts and (b) the corporate plan for his Department's executive agencies were in each year since financial year 199798.

Ivor Caplin: All Defence Agencies are required to lay their Annual Reports and Accounts before Parliament. The table as follows gives the publication dates for all Defence Agencies for financial year 200203. Since 199798 a number of Defence Agencies have changed or merged. Detailed publication dates for these previous years are not held centrally in the precise format required and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Further information on all parliamentary business is however published in the House of Commons Votes and Proceedings, available on the United Kingdom Parliament Website at http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm/cmvote/cmvp0307.htm.
	All Defence Agencies are required to produce key targets annually. These are published in Parliament and then incorporated by agencies into their plans, which are published in a variety of formats and are usually available on agency websites or through the agencies themselves. Dates of publication for individual agency plans in the precise format requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Dates of key targets published for financial year 200304 are given as follows.
	
		
			  Date laid before Parliament 
			 Agency (a) Accounts FY 200203 (b) Key Targets FY 200304 
		
		
			 ABRO 15 July 2003 8 July 2003 
			 Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency 15 July 2003 9 April 2003 
			 Army Personnel Centre 10 July 2003 17 July 2003 
			 Army Training and Recruiting Agency 16 December 2003 17 July 2003 
			 British Forces Post Office 11 December 2003 12 June 2003 
			 Defence Aviation Repair Agency 17 November 2003 8 July 2003 
			 Defence Analytical Services Agency 16 July 2003 4 April 2003 
			 Defence Bills Agency 11 July 2003 29 April 2003 
			 Defence Communications Services Agency 29 January 2004 7 November 2003 
			 Defence Dental Agency 15 July 2003 31 March 2003 
			 Defence Estates 16 July 2003 2 July 2003 
			 Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency 16 December 2003 6 November 2003 
			 Defence Housing Executive 16 July 2003 2 July 2003 
			 Defence Intelligence and Security Centre 31 October 2003 6 November 2003 
			 Defence Medical Training Organisation(2) 15 July 2003 (3) 31 March 2003 
			 Defence Procurement Agency 4 December 2003 9 July 2003 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 14 July 2003 16 October 2003 
			 Defence Secondary Care Agency 15 July 2003 n/a 
			 Defence Storage and Distribution Agency 15 July 2003 12 June 2003 
			 Defence Transport and Movements Agency 16 July 2003 12 June 2003 
			 Defence Vetting Agency 16 July 2003 28 April 2003 
			 Disposal Services Agency 16 July 2003 3 July 2003 
			 Duke of York's Royal Military School 29 October 2003 16 July 2003 
			 Medical Supplies Agency 16 July 2003 19 November 2003 
			 Met Office 23 June 2003 11 June 2003 
			 Ministry of Defence Police 16 July 2003 26 June 2003 
			 Naval Manning Agency 16 July 2003 22 May 2003 
			 Naval Recruiting and Training Agency 16 July 2003 4 June 2003 
			 Pay and Personnel Agency 16 July 2003 29 April 2003 
			 Queen Victoria School 29 January 2004 16 July 2003 
			 RAF Personnel Manning Agency 16 July 2003 9 July 2003 
			 RAF Training Group Defence Agency 13 November 2003 17 July 2003 
			 Service Children's Education 22 January 2004 17 July 2003 
			 UK Hydrographic Office 10 July 2003 25 June 2003 
			 Veterans Agency 16 July 2003 28 October 2003 
			 Warship Support Agency 10 December 2003 15 October 2003 
		
	
	(2) The Defence Medical Training Organisation and the Defence Secondary Care Agency merged at 1 April 2003 and formed the Defence Medical Education and Training Agency.
	(3) Refers to key targets for the newly formed Defence Medical Education and Training Agency.

Dr. David Kelly

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the occasions on which Dr. David Kelly spoke to the media (a) on an authorised basis and (b) on an unauthorised basis while employed by his Department.

Geoff Hoon: I refer my hon. Friend to the documents labelled MOD/5/0054 to MOD/5/0060, which are available on the Hutton Inquiry website and which list Dr. Kelly's contacts with journalists over the past two years. This was copied from information supplied by Dr. Kelly to MOD on 17 July 2003. The Ministry of Defence does not have access to any other records that might have provided further information.
	Evidence relating to unauthorised disclosures to Andrew Gilligan, Susan Watts, Peter Beaumont, Julie Flint, and Gavin Hewitt was heard in the course of Lord Hutton's inquiry.

Engagements

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates since 1 January 2002 Sir Kevin Tebbit held meetings with Mr. Earl Anthony Wayne, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs of the United States State Department; and where each meeting took place.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 16 December 2003, Official Report, column 843W.

Iraq

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision has been made for personnel to send gifts back to the United Kingdom; what weight limits and costs are involved; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 December 2003
	British Armed Forces personnel deployed overseas, with the exception of those in the Gulf, may send parcels home up to a maximum weight of 30 kilograms at a concessionary rate equivalent to United Kingdom second class post. Personnel in the Gulf can currently send parcels of up to two kilograms per item to the UK also at concessionary rates.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy was in March 2003 on whether use by Iraq of battlefield chemical and biological weapons would generate the very serious consequences to which he referred in debate on 26 March 2003, Official Report, column 302.

Geoff Hoon: The Government's policy is to reserve the right to respond appropriately to any use of such weapons. This was also the policy in March 2003.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been to public funds of the British contingent in the Iraq Survey Group; what the projected future costs are; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Ministry of Defence identifies the costs of Operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. The costs that the Department would have incurred regardless of the operation taking place, such as wages and salaries, are not included. Savings on activities that have not occurred because of the operationtraining exercises for exampleare taken into account in arriving at the net figures.
	The net additional costs incurred by United Kingdom personnel attached to the Iraq Survey Group cannot be differentiated from the total net additional cost of UK personnel deployed to the Gulf region. For example, stock accounting records will identify the recipient of stock as entitled UK military personnel, not whether they are engaged in peacekeeping work or in the search for WMD. Therefore, it is not possible to identify costs related solely to the UK's Iraq Survey Group personnel.

Military Equipment (Gulf)

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the performance of military equipment in the Gulf.

Geoff Hoon: The Ministry of Defence's report on Operation Telic, Lessons for the Future, closely reflects the conclusions of the independent report by the National Audit Office that
	the logistic effort for the Operation was huge and key to success
	and that
	key equipments . . . performed well.
	Both reports recognise that there are areas for improvement. This includes, in the logistic area, developing a more robust in-theatre asset-tracking system.

Missile Defence

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the United Kingdom has spent on all aspects of ballistic missile defence in each year since 1997.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 January 2004, Official Report, column 920W, to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch).

Nuclear Submarines

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of days a year was in the last five years that the nuclear submarine berths (a) at Loch Ewe and (b) in Broadford Bay were occupied; what change in occupancy is projected; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The berths at Loch Ewe and Broadford Bay can be used by nuclear submarines and surface vessels. Occupancy of the berths by nuclear submarines is recorded in hours. The average number of hours per year over the last five years when the berths have been occupied by nuclear submarines is 13.2 hours for Loch Ewe and 2.4 hours for Broadford Bay. Surface ship occupancy is recorded in days. The average number of days per year over the last five years when the berths have been occupied by surface vessels is 48.6 days for Loch Ewe and nil for Broadford Bay. There are no plans to change the usage pattern.

Royal College of Defence Medicine

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the Royal College of Defence Medicine has for the Selly Oak Hospital site in Birmingham.

Ivor Caplin: We are currently considering options for the future provision of accommodation for our medical personnel in Birmingham. Preliminary discussions have taken place with University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust (UHBT), but at present the MOD has no plans for the Selly Oak Site.

Security Passes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many security passes have been reported by staff in his Department as (a) lost and (b) stolen in the last 12 months.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 January 2004, Official Report, column 371W, to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten).

Special Investigations Branch

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who is responsible for responding to reports of the Special Investigations Branch; and what options are available for further action to be taken.

Adam Ingram: Upon completion of a Special Investigation Branch (SIB) investigation, a report is produced which is passed to the Commanding Officer of the unit involved. The Commanding Officer is then advised by the relevant service legal branch, as to the options available to him, such as whether the matter could be dealt with summarily by the Commanding Officer himself, or a more senior officer in the chain of command, or whether the case should be passed to the relevant service Prosecuting Authority. Service Prosecuting Authorities then decide whether to proceed to Court Martial based on their responsibilities under prosecuting guidelines issued by the Attorney-General.
	In addition, the report produced by the Special Investigation Branch may be used to inform a Board of Inquiry.

Surplus Military Equipment

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will publish regulations governing the disposal of surplus military equipment;
	(2)  whether surplus military equipment with a security classification of restricted and above is disposed of by sale or auction; and what safeguards are applied;
	(3)  what safeguards there are on the end use of surplus military equipment disposed of by sale or auction.

Adam Ingram: There are many regulations governing the disposal of surplus military equipments ranging from internal Ministry of Defence procedures focusing on the supply chain decision-making process to those national and international regulations such as the Basel Convention. Particular procedures would be dependent on the type of equipment involved and there are numerous disposal instructions in existence. This information is not held centrally and, without being more specific, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. National and international procedures are in the public domain.
	The MOD ensures that most sensitive surplus military equipment is destroyed. However, certain classified material may be resold by the MOD's Disposal Services Agency (DSA) either directly on a Government-to-Government basis, to the original equipment manufacturer or via some of the DSA's marketing agreements with industry. Safeguards are in place to ensure that all exports (direct or subsequent via a marketing agreement) are covered by an appropriate export licence. The DSA's contractors that hold classified material (for sale) will have appropriate MOD security clearance and, additionally, the Official Secrets Act would apply. No such material would be sold at auction.
	All surplus equipment sold directly by the DSA on a Government-to-Government basis contain conditions that require the end user Government to seek MOD approval prior to subsequent resale to a third party.

Surplus Military Equipment

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) ships, (b) aircraft and (c) military vehicles have been disposed of by (i) sale and (ii) auction in the past six years.

Adam Ingram: The major former Royal Naval ships (named capital ships) sold by the Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Agency (DSA) in the last six years are listed as follows. None was sold by auction.
	Financial year199899
	HMS Soberton
	HMS Egeria
	HMY Britannia
	Financial year19992000
	HMS Kellington
	Financial year 200001
	HMS Wilton
	HMS Bicester
	HMS Orkney
	HMS Birmingham
	HMS Beaver
	RFA Olwen
	RFA Olna
	Financial year 200102
	HMS Bulldog
	HMS Berkeley
	HMS Orwell
	HMS Herald
	Financial year 200203
	HMS Beagle
	HMS London
	HMS Coventry
	HMS Shetland
	HMS Alderney
	HMS Anglesey
	HMS Lindisfarne
	HMS Guernsey
	HMS Sheffield
	Financial year 200304
	None
	Surplus aircraft sold by the DSA in the past six calendar years are set out in the following table, broken down by sale and auction.
	
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Jet Provost   1   5 
			 Sale   1   5 
			 Auction   0   0 
			
			 Jetstream  2 
			 Sale  2 
			 Auction  0 
			
			 Meteor 1  
			 Sale 0  
			 Auction 1  
			 Schleicher Valiant Glider   4
			 Sale   0
			 Auction   4
			
			 Varsity 1  
			 Sale 0  
			 Auction 1  
			
			 Victor 2  
			 Sale 1  
			 Auction 1  
			
			 Andover 1  
			 Sale 0  
			 Auction 1  
			
			 BAC 111   1
			 Sale   0
			 Auction   1
			
			 BAE 146 1  
			 Sale 1  
			 Auction 0  
			
			 Buccaneer 1  3 1   
			 Sale 1  1 1   
			 Auction 0  2 0   
			
			 Bulldog  6 28 73   
			 Sale  0 17 39   
			 Auction  6 11 34   
			
			 Chipmunk   3
			 Sale   0
			 Auction   3
			
			 Canberra 13 2 
			 Sale 03 2 
			 Auction 10 0 
			
			 Chieftan 1  
			 Sale 0  
			 Auction 1  
			
			 Devon 1  
			 Sale 0  
			 Auction 1  
			
			 Gnat   1
			 Sale   0
			 Auction   1
			
			 HS 125 2 1 
			 Sale 2 1 
			 Auction 0 0 
			
			 Harrier 2 6  2 11 2 
			 Sale 2 6  2 11 2 
			 Auction 0 0  0 0 0 
			
			 Hunter 2 2 7  1  
			 Sale 1 2 1  1  
			 Auction 1 0 6  0  
			
			 Jaguar 4   3 2  
			 Sale 3   3 2  
			 Auction 1   0 0  
			
			 Schempp-Hirth Janus-C   1
			 Sale   0
			 Auction   1
			
			 Javelin 1  
			 Sale 0  
			 Auction 1  
			 Gazelle 4 2 8 20 4 12 
			 Sale 2 2 4 10 4 12 
			 Auction 2 0 4 10 0 0 
			
			 Lynx Helicopters 3  
			 Sale 3  
			 Auction 0  
			
			 Sioux Helicopters  1 
			 Sale  1 
			 Auction  0 
			
			 Wessex Helicopters 14 2 4 3 6 7 
			 Sale 7 2 2 2 6 7 
			 Auction 7 0 2 1 0 0 
			
			 Whirlwind 1 1 2   2 
			 Sale 1 1 2   2 
			 Auction 0 0 0   0 
			
			 VC10   1   1 
			 Sale   1   1 
			 Auction   0   0 
			
			 Lightning 1  
			 Sale 1  
			 Auction 0  
			
			 Shackleton 1  
			 Sale 1  
			 Auction 0  
			
			 Tornado  1 2 7 15 4 
			 Sale  1 2 7 15 4 
			 Auction  0 0 0 0 0 
			
			 Puma  1 
			 Sale  1 
			 Auction  0 
			
			 Hercules2  2 
			 Sale2  2 
			 Auction0  0 
			
			 Sea King 1  
			 Sale 1  
			 Auction 0  
			
			 Viking Glider 1  
			 Sale 1  
			 Auction 0  
			
			 Phantom 4  6 10   
			 Sale 4  6 10   
			 Auction 0  0 0   
			
			 Merlin 1  
			 Sale 1  
			 Auction 0  
		
	
	As there were approximately 23,000 surplus military vehicles sold in the last six years, itemised sales figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Trident

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost, in real terms, of the Trident submarine fleet, including missiles and warheads, for each year since its initial deployment; and what the overall cost was of acquiring (a) the submarines and (b) the missiles and warheads.

Geoff Hoon: The cost, in real terms, of the Trident submarine fleet, including missiles and warheads, for each year since its initial deployment has ranged between 2 per cent. and 4 per cent. of the annual defence budget.
	The overall cost of acquiring (a) the submarines is 5.481 billion and (b) the missiles and warheads is 3.727 billion.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Pre-legislative Scrutiny

Tony Wright: To ask the Leader of the House if he will make an assessment of the effect of scrutiny of draft Bills on the quality of legislation.

Peter Hain: I am convinced that the scrutiny of draft Bills leads to better legislation, but it would be difficult to find objective measures by which to assess the quality of legislation and the changes made following pre-legislative scrutiny.

Gunpowder Plot

Graham Brady: To ask the Leader of the House what plans he has made for the House to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot.

Peter Hain: A group of officials from both Houses are developing a proposal for an exhibition concerning the Gunpowder Plot to be held in Westminster Hall during 2005. It is hoped that the proposal will be put to the House of Commons Commission, and to the Westminster Hall authorities, in March.

Modernisation Committee

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Leader of the House if he will propose to the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons that it examine ways of simplifying House documents.

Peter Hain: I am aware that many Members find the form of some House documents inaccessible and I believe there is scope for further modernisation. The Modernisation Committee is considering the accessibility of the House's publications in its current inquiry on Parliament's engagement with the public, and may wish to return to the subject in the future.

Standing Committees

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Leader of the House if he will reduce the number of Standing Committees in which Government Bills have precedence.

Peter Hain: I have no plans to propose such a change to the Standing Orders.
	When circumstances require it, the Government gives precedence to a Private Member's Bill in a Standing Committee where Government Bills are entitled to precedence.

Remembrance Wreaths

James Gray: To ask the Leader of the House whether the cost of poppy wreaths laid by hon. Members on Remembrance Sunday is an allowable expense against the incidental expenses provision.

Peter Hain: No, but if the hon. Member wishes, it is open to him to make representations to the Advisory Panel on Members' Allowances, who advise on detailed rules for the incidental expenses provision and other allowances.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Witnesses

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures the Government have taken to encourage and support victims and witnesses of crimes to give evidence in court.

Christopher Leslie: Last July, the Government published a National Strategy setting out steps we are taking to deliver improved services to victims and witnesses in the criminal justice system. At its heart is the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill, introduced last November, which contains a range of measures aimed at encouraging more witnesses to come to court and give evidence.

Supreme Court

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the locations being considered for a new supreme court.

Christopher Leslie: A wide range of options for the location of the new Supreme Court is being considered, both commercial sites and those already on the Government estate. An evaluation is currently being conducted to identify the preferred building solution. Until this process has been completed, it could be prejudicial to our commercial position to disclose details.

Industrial Action

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent industrial action within the Department.

David Lammy: Members of the PCS union in the DCA were called out on strike on 29 and 30 January. The Department had contingency plans in place, and this ensured that the impact on overall levels of service was minimised.

Community Legal Service

Sally Keeble: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps are being taken to develop the Community Legal Service.

David Lammy: The Legal Services Commission, on behalf of my Department, is examining new ways of delivering services through the Partnership Initiative Budget and Methods of Delivery Pilots. These programmes will increase access to provision of legal and advice services for those most in need. An independent review is taking place to evaluate the impact of the CLS after three years of live operation. The report is due by 31 March 2004. Informed by the report's recommendations, Ministers will then decide how to build on the success of the CLS since its introduction.

Community Legal Service

John Mann: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the current backlog of cases is in the Community Legal Service.

David Lammy: I take the 'backlog of cases' to mean the applications for civil representation received by the Legal Services Commission but not yet processed. The figures as at 30 January 2004 were as follows:
	Family applications: 2,667
	Non-Family applications: 584
	Civil amendments/authorities applications: 2,313
	Emergency applications: 346
	For comparison purposes, the average number of applications received per week is currently as follows:
	Family applications: 2,133
	Non-Family applications: 522
	Civil amendments/authorities applications: 3,210
	Emergency applications: 989

Anti-social Behaviour Orders

Claire Ward: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what training and guidance the Lord Chancellor is giving to magistrates on the implementation of Anti-social Behaviour Orders.

Christopher Leslie: The Judicial Studies Board (JSB) issued a set of magistrates' training materials addressing the original anti-social behaviour provisions in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The training materials were revised and reissued in November 2002 and again in May 2003.

Fines (East Sussex)

Ben Chapman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the collection of fines imposed by magistrates' courts.

Christopher Leslie: Following the action plan I announced last June to improve fine enforcement performance, clear progress has been made and MCCs are on track to hit the 75 per cent. payment rate target set for this year.

Fines (East Sussex)

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what percentage of fines handed down by courts in East Sussex were collected in the last year for which figures are available.

Christopher Leslie: Information on fines imposed and collected is provided by the 42 magistrates courts committees (MCCs) in England and Wales. Separate data of fines handed down by courts in East Sussex are not available.
	As set out in the report Magistrates' Courts Business Returns, Annual Report 20022003 published on 25 June 2003, Sussex Magistrates Courts Committee's payment rate was 62 per cent.3,958,078 was collected from a total of 6,402,558 for enforcement in Sussex.

Charitable Trusts

David Drew: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what reason individual trustees have to disclose their date of birth when making the annual return to the Charity Commission.

Fiona Mactaggart: I have been asked to reply.
	This is a matter for the Charity Commission as the Government Department responsible for the regulation of charities in England and Wales. The Chief Charity Commissioner will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Electoral Law

Simon Hughes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the procedure for declaration of donations by independent candidates in elections.

Christopher Leslie: The Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000 established a new system for governing the regular disclosure of donations to registered political parties, a system which did not extend to independent candidates asby definitionthey have no organised party base behind them. Nevertheless, all individuals are required separately by the Representation of the People Act 1983 to record election expenses and campaign income received from the moment they officially become election candidates, whether party nominees or independents. Donations of more than 50 have to be reported in these election expenses returns to Returning Officers.

Law Commission Reports

Nick Palmer: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the Government will respond to (a) the Law Commission report on limitation of actions, ref. (2001) Law Com No. 270, (b) the consultation issued in September 2002 on the Law Commission report on third party rights against insurers, ref. Law Com No. 272, (c) claims for wrongful deaths, ref. (1999) Law Com No. 263 and (d) liability for psychiatric injury ref. (1998) Law Com No. 249.

David Lammy: The information is as follows:
	(a) In July 2002, the Government announced their acceptance in principle of the recommendations for reform of the 1980 Act contained in the Law Commission report Limitation of Actions, subject to further consideration of certain aspects. Legislation will be introduced to implement those recommendations which are accepted when an opportunity arises.
	(b) The Government will publish the post-consultation report on Third PartiesRights Against Insurers this month.
	(c) and (d) The Government are currently considering the proposals in the Law Commission reports on damages in light of developments since their publication, with a view to consulting further as appropriate.

Legal Aid

John Mann: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current (a) method and (b) level of funding for legal aid; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: My Department and the Legal Services Commission are continually reviewing the methods and levels of funding for legal aid, to ensure that those who need help the most continue to receive help while providing the best value for money for the taxpayer. In addition, my Department formally announced in June a review of supply, demand and purchasing arrangements within the legal aid system. Due to concern that there could be a shortage of high quality legal aid lawyers, the review will establish the costs, fees and conditions necessary to attract and maintain well-qualified legal aid lawyers. The report by the consultants conducting the review was received in December 2003. It addressed alternative procurement methods for legal services. The final report is about to be published.

Legal Aid

John Mann: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people used legal aid in the last year for which figures are available.

David Lammy: The Legal Services Commission is unable to answer the question in the form requested as its systems record the number of acts of assistance rather than the number of clients assisted, which is not necessarily reflective of the number of individuals involved. The total acts of assistance for 200203 was 2,658,000.

Legal Aid

John Mann: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of the legal aid budget in 200304 has been spent on criminal cases.

David Lammy: In the present financial year 200304, to December 2003, legal aid expenditure on criminal cases amounted to 56 per cent. of total legal aid expenditure.

Legal Services

John Mann: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of enabling providers other than solicitors to offer legal services directly to the public.

David Lammy: The Government have commissioned an independent review of the regulation of legal services aimed at promoting competition and innovation and improving services for consumers. We are reviewing future demand for legal services and the suppliers needed particularly in the publicly funded sector. We have already decided to open up the probate market to new providers, which should enable consumers to benefit from better and more cost effective services. A full regulatory impact assessment of opening up the probate market will be provided when commencement orders are laid before Parliament.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of general practitioner fees on deterring those on low incomes from appealing against a benefits decision; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: General Practitioners (GPs) have an important role in providing advice on fitness for work, and supporting the recovery and rehabilitation of their patients; however, there is no need for a person to have evidence from their GP in order to appeal a benefit decision, and GPs are under no statutory obligation to provide medical evidence to their patients for the purposes of an appeal.
	Appeal tribunals carry out an independent judicial function and will have available the medical evidence on a person's file, including the reports from Medical Services' doctors; in many cases a person's file will often already include factual information provided by their GP.

Carer's Allowance

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in (a) the East Midlands and (b) England and Wales receive carer's allowance.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		Pensioners in receipt of Carers Allowance, at 31August 2003
		
			  In payment 
		
		
			 East Midlands 1,590 
			 England 18,360 
			 Wales 1,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures taken from a 100 per cent. sample at 31 August 2003.
	2. Pensioners are defined as those aged 60/65+ at 31 August 2003.
	3. Figures have been given for all people with Carers Allowance in payment.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre.

Disability Living Allowance

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many appeals against refusal of Disability Living Allowance have been considered by the Appeals Service in each of the last 12 months in (a) the Angus constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the rest of the United Kingdom;
	(2)  how many successful appeals there have been against refusal of Disability Living Allowance in each of the last 12 months in (a) the Angus constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the rest of the UK.

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for Christina Townsend, Chief Executive of the Appeals Service. She will reply to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Christina Townsend to Mr. Michael Weir, dated 10 February 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions regarding:
	1) the number of appeals against the refusal of disability living allowance that have been considered by the Appeals Service in each of the last 12 months in (a) the Angus constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the rest of the United Kingdom
	2) the number of successful appeals there have been against the refusal of disability living allowance in each of the last 12 months in (a) the Angus constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the rest of the United Kingdom.
	The information is not available in the requested format. However such information as is available is attached in two tables. The first table shows disability living allowance appeals lodged, received, cleared at hearing and cleared in favour of the appellant in Scotland; the second table gives the same figures for Great Britain.
	I hope this reply is helpful.
	
		Disability Living Allowance Appeals lodged and received by the Appeals Service: January 2003 to December 2003, by month
		
			  Scotland(4) 
			  Total DLA claimants: 2003 Lodged Received Cleared at hearing Cleared in favour of appellant Percentage cleared in favour of appellant 
		
		
			 Year 2003  12,565 13,900 11,805 6,720 56.9 
			 January 2003  1,040 1,125 1,075 630 58.6 
			 February 2003 273,700 1,190 1,020 1,015 585 57.6 
			 March 2003  1,165 1,205 940 575 61.2 
			 April 2003  1,065 1,020 995 570 57.3 
			 May 2003 277,700 1,140 970 960 570 59.4 
			 June 2003  1,250 1,150 1,080 625 57.9 
			 July 2003  1,190 1,015 930 540 58.1 
			 August 2003 281,200 1,220 1,180 885 470 53.1 
			 September 2003  1,265 1,270 935 500 53.5 
			 October 2003  1,255 1,485 1,085 590 54.4 
			 November 2003  715 1,230 1,095 610 55.7 
			 December 2003  70 1,230 810 455 56.2 
		
	
	(4) Scotland figures are those of the regional centreGlasgow
	
		
			   Great Britain(5) 
			  Total DLA claimants: 2003 Lodged Received Cleared at hearing Cleared in favour of appellant Percentage cleared in favour of appellant 
		
		
			 Year 2003  74,775 83,505 69,880 36,850 52.7 
			
			 January 2003  6,510 7,795 6,050 3,160 52.2 
			 February 2003 2,468,900 7,400 6,595 5,615 3,015 53.7 
			 March 2003  6,970 7,215 6,390 3,570 55.9 
			 April 2003  6,445 6,040 5,665 3,060 54.0 
			 May 2003 2,497,600 6,275 5,905 6,035 3,205 53.1 
			 June 2003  7,125 6,390 6,030 3,300 54.7 
			 July 2003  7,660 7,015 5,890 3,170 53.8 
			 August 2003 2,527,700 6,925 6,105 5,480 2,855 52.1 
			 September 2003  7,415 7,660 5,915 3,050 51.6 
			 October 2003  7,250 8,720 6,130 3,100 50.6 
			 November 2003  4,155 7,175 5,895 2,965 50.3 
			 December 2003  645 6,890 4,785 2,400 50.2 
		
	
	(5) The Great Britain figure will include a small number of cases from outside Great Britain. The Appeals Service hears appeals for Great Britain, not the United Kingdom.
	Notes:
	1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data becomes available.
	2. Figures for the latest months may rise significantly as information feeds through to the Appeals Service.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest five, except for total DLA claimants (2003), which are rounded to the nearest hundred, and are only available quarterly.
	4. The information for Angus parliamentary constituency is not available.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample.

Hepatitis C

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to propose legislation to prevent people eligible for compensation under the ex-gratia hepatitis C payment scheme losing their social security benefits.

Chris Pond: holding answer 3 February 2004
	Amendments to existing regulations are being prepared to ensure that any payments received under the Hepatitis C Ex-Gratia Payment Scheme are disregarded for the purposes of Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Pension Credit. Proposals for the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit regulations were sent to the Local Authority Associations for consultation on 23 January. The regulations will be laid before Parliament once all necessary procedures have been completed, and an announcement will be made in due course.

Logic Software

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  when the new Logic Integrated Medical Assessment software will be made available for public access; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the capability of the Logic Integrated Medical Assessment software to assess claimants whose condition is variously assessed as physical, mental or both in origin according to different authorities;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the capability of the Logic Integrated Medical Assessment software to assess claimants with symptoms which differ widely from the accepted definition of the client's condition;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the implications of tying the Personal Capability Assessment into the Logic Integrated Medical Assessment software for which SchlumbergerSema own the copyright; what assessment he has made of the impact on the contract renewal process in 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Logic Integrated Medical Assessment (LiMA) software, developed by Medical Services, supports doctors who have been trained and approved to carry out Incapacity Benefit Personal Capability Assessments. It is based on fully researched, evidence-based medical protocols providing reliable, up to date medical opinion on the conditions most often seen in people claiming Incapacity Benefit. LiMA guides the doctor through the medical assessment process, prompting appropriate questions and ensuring thorough and appropriate assessment of the customer's physical and/or mental conditions.
	LiMA analyses data about the individual customer, which the doctor has input following interview, observation, and focused clinical examination; and presents the doctor with a logical choice of descriptors that are consistent with the data and with up to date medical knowledge. Doctors can use clinical judgement to override the descriptor choices suggested by LiMA, but they must provide full justification for doing so.
	The LiMA software is only functional as an interactive process during a medical examination for the Personal Capability Assessment. It cannot be used independently of the process, and is therefore not accessible to the public. As an internal guidance system it does not fall within Open Government guidelines on access to information.
	The medical protocols that support LiMA are drawn from standard medical texts available through any public library.
	SchlumbergerSema (now Atos Origin) do not own the copyright of the LiMA software. The current Medical Services contract provides that Intellectual Property Rights for Evidence Based Medicine and the LiMA software are vested in the Department.

Logic Software

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of claimants have been found incapable of work under the Logic Integrated Medical Assessment (LIMA) software since the pilots were introduced; what proportion of claimants were found incapable of work without the use of the LIMA software in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The information is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

New Deal for Young People

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have entered the New Deal for Young People (a) four times, (b) five times, (c) six times, (d) seven times, (e) eight times, (f) nine times and (g) 10 times or more; whether these people are included in the long-term unemployed statistics; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The information is in the table.
	
		New Deal for Young People (NDYP)Number of people who have entered the programme four times and more
		
			 Number of times on the programme Number of people 
		
		
			 Four 5,680 
			 Five 400 
			 Six 20 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. There are no recorded instances of people participating in NDYP more than six times.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate
	People on the New Deal for Young People (NDYP) Gateway receive Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) and, unless they have joined under the early entry criteria, will be counted in the claimant unemployment statistics as in receipt of JSA for six months or more. People on one of the four NDYP options are undertaking full-time activity designed to address their barriers to work and receive a New Deal allowance rather than JSA. People participating in NDYP follow-through receive JSA and will, in most cases, be counted in the claimant statistics as in receipt of JSA for up to six months.
	Unemployment statistics are also collected through the Labour Force Survey (LFS). People on NDYP Gateway and follow-through will be classified as International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployed if they satisfy the ILO conditions of being available for and actively seeking work. Those on NDYP options may be counted as in employment, ILO unemployed, or economically inactive depending on their labour market activity. The duration of those counted as ILO unemployed reflects a person's own assessment of their period of unemployment.

New Deal for Young People

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many participants on the New Deal for Young People full-time education or training option were on courses lasting (a) 03 months, (b) 36 months, (c) 612 months and (d) over 12 months, in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Information on the length of courses undertaken by young people on the New Deal full-time education and training option is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the number of people participating on the New Deal for young people full-time education and training option in the 12 months to September 2003 1 , and the duration of time spent on that option, is in the table.
	1 Latest available figures.
	
		New deal for young people full time education and training option
		
			 Duration on the option (months) Number of people 
		
		
			 03 7,940 
			 36 10,590 
			 612 5,040 
			 12+ 190 
		
	
	Note:
	It is the policy of New Deal for young people (NDYP) that nobody should be placed on an NDYP full time education and training (FTET) course for longer than a year, and an individual's training on this option is not funded for longer than 12 months.
	In a small number of cases, people may leave their FTET option early, return to claim jobseekers allowance within 13 weeks, and then complete this option. This can result in some individuals appearing to be on the FTET option for longer than 12 months, even though their time on the option would be a maximum of 12 months.
	Source:
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate.

New Deal for Young People

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made in co-ordination with HM Inland Revenue to track whether leavers from New Deal programmes remain in employment 12 months after leaving; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: We announced the launch of the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study on the 16 December. The study will link benefit and programme information held by this Department with employment records from the Inland Revenue and will be used to evaluate the Department's policies for helping people into work and keeping them in work.
	The Study will improve our understanding of what happens to people who leave our benefits and programmes, including the New Deal, to enter employment, and will enable us to assess how long they remain in employment.
	The Study is now under way and first publication of figures is expected at the end of the year.

New Deal for Young People

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost per place on each of the four options in the New Deal for Young People was in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when Jobcentre Plus expects to complete its New Deal for Young People unit cost model.

Des Browne: The information is not available.
	At the time of my previous answer to the hon. Member for Chesterfield (Paul Holmes) on 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 551W, it was anticipated that a unit costing system would now be available to produce reliable cost information on the full range of Jobcentre Plus activities, including information about the cost per place of New Deal for Young People. However, delays in developing the Resource Management System, which included a suite of unit costing systems, mean that at this time we are still unable to carry out this level of detailed costing analysis for Jobcentre Plus and other business units within the Department. A less sophisticated model, which records cost at a less detailed level, is close to completion and is planned to be operational from April 2004.
	New Deal for Young People has now successfully helped more than 460,000 young people into jobs and continues to represent value for money to the taxpayer.

Public Bodies

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  who the members of the (a) Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions, (b) Chaseley Trust, (c) Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board, (d) Far East (Prisoner of War and Internees) Fund and (e) Industrial Injuries Advisory Council were on 1 January; what their term of office is in each case; and what their remuneration is;
	(2)  who the members of the (a) Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority, (b) Royal Patriotic Fund Corporation, (c) Social Security Advisory Committee and (d) War Pensions Committee were on 1 January; what their term of office is in each case; and what their remuneration is.

Maria Eagle: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
	The Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions, Chaseley Trust, Far East (Prisoner of War and Internees) Fund, Royal Patriotic Fund Corporation and War Pensions Committees fall under the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence. Information on these bodies has also been placed in the Library.

Staff Salaries

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) lowest, (b) highest and (c) average salary is for full-time members of staff in (i) his Department, (ii) Jobcentre Plus, (iii) the Child Support Agency, (iv) the Pension Service, (v) the Disability and Carers Service and (vi) the Appeals Service.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the following table:
	
		Lowest, highest and average salaries in DWP, 2003 -- 
		
			 DWP Business Lowest Highest Average 
		
		
			 DWP Corporate Centre 9,900 124,800 23,549 
			 Jobcentre Plus 9,900 124,800 19,047 
			 Child Support Agency 9,900 124,800 16,871 
			 The Pension Service 9,900 124,800 17,427 
			 Disability and Carers Service 9,900 124,800 17,363 
			 The Appeals Service 9,900 124,800 17,734 
			 DWP overall 9,900 124,800 18,890 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The lowest salary is the minimum of the Band A (Administrative Assistant) national pay scale on 30 June 2003, before implementation of the proposed 2003 pay award. The highest is the maximum current Senior Civil Service (SCS) salary in DWP as a wholeincluding the highest in each Business may identify individuals' salaries. They are basic rates and exclude allowances, bonus payments and pension contributions. 2. The average salaries are for staff in grades Band A (AA) to Band G (Grade 6) before implementation of the proposed 2003 pay award, and current SCS salaries. Average salaries include allowances such as recruitment and retention allowance and the employer's occupational pension contribution, but exclude overtime. Data on Permanent Secretaries have been excluded from the table.
	3. The figures above encompass all pay zones (national, inner and outer London, and specified locations).
	Source:
	DWP Payroll Systems (FAMIS and Rebus) as processed by DWP Financial Services (ASAP), October 2003.

Staff Salaries

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the salary bands for full-time members of staff who are on (a) clerical support, (b) management, (c) senior management and (d) senior civil service grades in his Department and each of its agencies; and how many staff are employed in each of those bands.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		Staff numbers and salary bands in DWP 2003
		
			  DWP Corporate Centre staff Jobcentre Plus staff Child Support Agency staff The Pensions Service staff 
		
		
			 Clerical support 4,806 46,152 7,262 13,031 
			 Management 5,594 33,673 3,307 6,136 
			 Senior management 631 525 82 126 
			 Senior civil service 135 54 13 23 
			 Total 11,166 80,404 10,664 19,316 
		
	
	
		
			  Disability and Carers Service staff The Appeals Service staff DWP staff Minimum salary () Maximum salary () 
		
		
			 Clerical support 4,331 622 76,204 9,900 18,550 
			 Management 2,538 217 51,465 15,220 34,870 
			 Senior management 31 12 1,407 32,210 60,990 
			 Senior civil service 1 2 228 52,403 124,800 
			 Total 6,901 853 129,304   
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Clerical support covers staff employed in Band A/Administrative Assistant, Typist, Personal Secretary, Band B/Administrative Officer, Typing Manager and Senior Personal Secretary.
	2. Management covers staff employed in Band C/Executive Officers, Band D/Higher Executive Officers, Chief Typing Managers, Social Fund Inspectors and Band E/Senior Executive Officers.
	3. Senior Management covers staff employed in Band F/Grade 7 and Band G/Grade6.
	4. Specialist staff e.g. accountants, lawyers, statisticians and support grades who do not fit within the broad descriptions have been excluded from the above data. Permanent Secretaries have also been excluded.
	5. All staff numbers are Whole Time Equivalents.
	6. Band minimum and band maximum for staff below SCS are 2002 rates. The 2003 pay settlement has not yet been finalised or fully implemented. For staff below SCS the minimum is the rate for the national payband and the maximum is the rate for the Inner London payband.
	Source:
	DWP Payroll Systems (Dataview December 2003)

PRIME MINISTER

Honours System

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Prime Minister when firm proposals for the reform of the honours system will be laid before Parliament.

Tony Blair: I expect to receive Sir Hayden Phillips' report on his review of the honours system within the next few months. I shall, at the appropriate time, make a statement to Parliament about it.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the intelligence document on which he based his conclusion, placed before the Hutton Inquiry by his former director of communications, that Iraq could produce a nuclear weapon in between one and two years;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 2 February, Official Report, column 729, what the original intelligence to which he refers was that the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee relied upon in respect of his acceptance of the proposals made in his e-mail of 19 September 2002; and whether he had been informed of the contents of this intelligence when he authorised his former director of communications to press for changes in the Iraq weapons of mass destruction dossier.

Tony Blair: The conclusions on the dossier were those of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) as both Lord Hutton and the Intelligence and Security Committee have made clear. As Lord Hutton makes clear,
	Mr. John Scarlett, the Chairman of the JIC, had the overall responsibility for the drafting of the dossier.
	It has been the practice of successive Governments not to publish intelligence material.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what response he made to the queries posed by the right hon. Member for Dewsbury in her comments on the draft Iraq weapons of mass destruction dossier in September 2002; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) on 18 September 2003, Official Report, column 870W and on 15 October 2003, Official Report, columns 23334W.
	As Lord Hutton found in his report
	the dossier was prepared and drafted by a small team of the assessment staff of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). Mr. John Scarlett, the Chairman of the JIC, had the overall responsibility for the drafting of the dossier. The dossier, which included the 45 minutes claim, was issued by the Government on 24 September 2002 with the full approval of the JIC.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what the source was of the 45-minute claim about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction; and whether this intelligence information was shared with allied intelligence services, including those of the United States, between its receipt by the United Kingdom and its use in the Iraq weapons of mass destruction dossier.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 18 September 2003, Official Report, columns 95253W.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister whether he was informed of the e-mail by Mr. Jonathan Powell, published on page 657 of Lord Hutton's Report, on the evidence of an imminent threat from Iraq contained in the Draft Iraq Weapons of Mass Destruction Dossier, dated 17 September 2002, before he authorised the publication of the final version of the dossier.

Tony Blair: No. As Lord Hutton said in his Report, the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) had overall responsibility for the dossier of 24 September and accepted only drafting suggestions which were consistent with the intelligence known to the JIC.

Iraq

Lembit �pik: To ask the Prime Minister whether (a) the Secretary of State for Defence and (b) other Ministers informed him (i) orally and (ii) in writing that they believed the weapons of mass destruction which could be deployed within 45 minutes were battlefield weapons;

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his oral answer of 4 February 2004, Official Report, column 772, when he indicated when it had come to his attention that the 45 minute assertion related to battlefield mortar shells or small calibre weaponry;

John Stanley: To ask the Prime Minister on what date he first became aware to which Iraqi weapons the 45-minutes claim in the Iraq's weapons of mass destruction dossier applied.

Tony Blair: No. As my Official Spokesman said on Thursday 5 February, I first became aware of this around the time that the Intelligence and Security Committee had been examining the issue.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Iraqi regime was warned (a) before and (b) during the recent conflict that any use of battlefield chemical and biological weapons would meet with a response using (i) weapons of mass destruction and (ii) nuclear weapons.

Tony Blair: No. The Government have made clear in the past that we reserve the right to respond appropriately to any use of such weapons, using the range of options available to us. The UK does not possess biological or chemical weapons. We would never use our nuclear weapons in a manner contrary to international law.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence gave to the hon. Member for Newark (Patrick Mercer) on 3 March 2003, Official Report, column 578.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister whether he was informed of the possible range of battlefield weapons of mass destruction; and what types of armament he understood to be defined as battlefield weapons.

Tony Blair: Yes. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth) on 15 September 2003, Official Report, column 515W.

TREASURY

Atrazine

Tom Clarke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what quantities of Atrazine have been imported through each British port in the last 12 months.

John Healey: Atrazine is classified in commodity code 29336910, which is a set of related chemicals. The full description for this group is: Atrazine(ISO); propazine (ISO); hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (hexogen, trimethylenetrinitramine).
	Imports of goods under this commodity code from non-EU countries through British ports in the last 12 months, for which figures are available are shown in the following table.
	
		Imports, December 2002 to November 2003
		
			 Port Net mass (kgs) 
		
		
			 Liverpool 2,093 
			 Felixstowe 40,000 
			 Total 42,093 
		
	
	Source:
	Overseas Trade Statistics, HMCE

Benefit and Tax Errors

Boris Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on incompatibilities between working tax credit and council tax benefits processing systems, which may have resulted in errors in assessing eligibility.

Dawn Primarolo: Local authorities have made changes to their IT systems to ensure that working tax credit and child tax credit are taken into account when assessing entitlement to council tax benefit. Taxpayers are required to notify their local authority of the amount of tax credits that they receive. Arrangements are in place between the Inland Revenue and local authorities to enable relevant information about tax credits to be provided when requested.

Benefit Fraud

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of benefit fraud have been identified by Inland Revenue payroll cleanse operations in each of the last five years; how many of these were referred to the Department for Work and Pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: When the Inland Revenue Payroll Cleanse Unit identifies potential benefit fraud cases they refer them all to the Department for Work and Pensions for their action. The numbers of potential fraud cases referred over the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 19992000 21,151 
			 200001 19,297 
			 200102 7,102 
			 200203 11,336 
			 2003 to 31 January 2004 11,486

Decent Homes Standard

Win Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what effect he estimates the Inland Revenue ruling of 24 October 2003 will have on Bridgend's ability to achieve the 2010 decent homes standard; and whether additional Government support will be available to meet this target;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the effect on the welfare of tenants of Valleys to Coast Housing Ltd. if the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October 2003 is upheld.

Dawn Primarolo: On 24 October the Inland Revenue gave a preliminary view on the tax implications of contracts developed by a major accountancy firm. Discussions are continuing.

Health Statistics

David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest figures for the death rate from (a) cancer and (b) coronary heart disease are for the (i) East Riding of Yorkshire and (ii) United Kingdom; and what they were in 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to David Davis, dated 10 February 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the latest figures for the death rate from (a) cancer and (b) coronary heart disease for the (i) East Riding of Yorkshire and (ii) United Kingdom; and what they were in 1997. (154166)
	Death rates are included in the attached table for 1997 and 2002, the latest year for which figures are currently available.
	
		Death rates(6) from cancer and coronary heart disease(7) in the East Riding of Yorkshire local authority and the United Kingdom,(8)1997 and 2002(9)
		
			  Death rates per 100,000 population 
			  1997 2002 
		
		
			 Cancer  
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 194 176 
			 United Kingdom 203 189 
			 Coronary Heart Disease 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 153 111 
			 United Kingdom 163 128 
		
	
	(6) Rates per 100,000 population standardised to the European Standard Population.
	(7) The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) for1997, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) for 2002. The codes used are listed below: Cancer (malignant neoplasms)ICD-9 140208; ICD-10 C00-C97; Coronary Heart DiseaseICD-9 410414; ICD-10 120125.
	(8) Usual residents of these areas.
	(9) Deaths occurring in each calendar year in England and Wales, and deaths registered in each calendar year in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Higher Education Spending

Tim Collins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the right hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East and Wallsend (Mr. Brown) in the last 10 days regarding future higher education spending; and what the outcome was of those discussions.

Paul Boateng: Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals, including Members of both Houses of Parliament, as part of the process of policy development and analysis. As with previous Administrations, it is not this Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Ministerial Code.

Income Tax

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money was raised from income tax in (a) the City of Edinburgh local authority area, (b) Scotland and (c) the United Kingdom in 2003.

Dawn Primarolo: The most recent information on income tax liability is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Income tax liability ( billion)in 200001 
		
		
			  
			  
			 (a) City of Edinburgh UA 1.0 
			 (b) Scotland 7.3 
			 (c) United Kingdom 105.6 
		
	
	Estimates are based upon the Survey of Personal Incomes 200001, and represents liability arising in that year.

Income Tax

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the percentage collection rate of income tax in (a) the City of Edinburgh local authority area, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK for 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue does not hold details of the percentage collection rate of income tax on a local or regional basis.
	The following table shows the national percentage rate as at the end October 2002. These are the latest figures available. The Department's accounting year runs to the end of October and the figures are a snapshot of the position at that time. The figures also include arrears of income tax carried forward from earlier years.
	
		
			 Income tax  
		
		
			 Total liabilities ( million) 125,701.3 
			 Receipts ( million) 120,890.3 
			 Percentage collected 96.17

Income Tax

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money was raised from income tax in (a) the North West and (b) Lancashire in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The most recent information on income tax liability is given in the table.
	
		Income tax liability in 200001
		
			   billion 
		
		
			  
			  
			 (a) North West 9.3 
			 (b) Lancashire 1.6 
		
	
	Estimates are based upon the Survey of Personal Incomes 200001.

Ivory

Tony Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions have resulted from seizures of ivory and ivory products in each of the last five years.

John Healey: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe) on 6 February 2004, Official Report, column 1082W.

Ivory

Tony Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what disposal methods have been used for ivory tusks and products seized by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise since 1999.

John Healey: Ivory tusks and products seized by Customs are destroyed by incineration, apart from small quantities donated on request for medical and other scientific research or to museums and zoos for educational purposes. In addition, Customs retain a few samples for public education and staff training purposes.

Ivory

Tony Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2004, Official Report, column 496W, on ivory, what type of ivory products were seized; and what information he has collated on the country of origin in each case.

John Healey: I very much regret that my answer of 28 January 2004, Official Report, column 354W, inadvertently contained an incorrect figure. The table gives the corrected information.
	
		
			  Ivory tusks Other itemscontaining ivory  
			 Calendaryear Number of seizures Number of items seized Number of seizures Number of items seized Total number of seizures 
		
		
			 2003 7 22 23 126 30 
			 2002 4 5 18 74 22 
			 2001 6 8 27 649 33 
			 2000 6 19 19 84 25 
			 1999 7 12 11 13 18 
			 Total 30 66 98 946 128 
		
	
	The 1,012 ivory items seized by HM Customs and Excise since 1999 consisted of the following:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Elephant tusks 17 
			 Knives 2 
			 Jewellery 66 
			 Statues 33 
			 Carved ivory 44 
			 Piano keys 411 
			 Other parts of musical instruments 8 
			 Furniture 7 
			 Other ivory pieces 258 
		
	
	In addition, Customs seized the following items, which are treated as ivory for the purposes of recording seizures:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Rhino horn 1 
			 Walrus tusk 3 
			 Hippo tusk 15 
			 Other tusks 30 
			 Hippo teeth 117 
		
	
	Information on the country of origin of the products seized is not available.

National Insurance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of those who are due to receive delayed deficiency notices from the National Insurance Contributions Office for each year since 2000 have received the notices; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue has started writing to people whose national insurance account shows shortfalls for the years 199697 to 200102. As the letters may cover any or all of those years, it is not possible to identify separately the letters which relate just to the years since 2000. In total, 10.2 million letters will be issued. As of 1 February 2004, 1.2 million had been sent out. It is anticipated that all letters will be sent out by September.

National Insurance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether investigations into the submission by employers of (a) incorrect and (b) invalid national insurance numbers have ever been suspended; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Such investigations are carried out on a daily basis as part of the Inland Revenue's normal work procedures to ensure that, where possible, national insurance contributions sent in by employers are properly recorded on employees' individual national insurance accounts. There has not been any suspension of this activity.

National Insurance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many end of year returns which could not be linked to a national insurance account have been left unallocated at the end of each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue estimate that around 55 million end of year contribution returns are received each year. Around 4 per cent. of these contain incomplete or incorrect identifying details and cannot be allocated to an individual national insurance account without further information. Most of these non-matching items have no or little impact on people's benefit entitlements. The Inland Revenue works with employers to trace and match contributions, concentrating on cases where they are likely to have a significant impact on entitlement.
	The number of end of year returns not linked to a national insurance account as at 31 March 2003 is given in the table. The numbers outstanding as at 31 March 2002 and earlier years are not available.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 199798 1,776,278 
			 199899 2,690,708 
			 19992000 2,205,116 
			 200001 2,312,424 
			 200102 2,359,896

National Insurance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether there is a margin of error allowed by the National Insurance Contributions Office when calculating national insurance figures; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: In the vast majority of cases national insurance records are updated accurately. In some cases where the information received is inaccurate, the Inland Revenue takes all reasonable action to investigate and correct the records, but operates administrative tolerances where the costs of investigating would be excessive compared to the amounts involved. In these cases the amount recorded on the employee's national insurance account always reflects the higher value so that they do not lose out on future benefit entitlement.

National Insurance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what backlogs there are in the handling of national insurance data in the National Insurance Contributions Office; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Insurance Contributions Office is on track to meet all its targets for processing national insurance data in 200304.

Payroll Giving

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many employers provided Payroll Giving schemes in (a) July 1998 and (b) July 2003;
	(2)  how many FTSE 250 companies offered Payroll Giving schemes in (a) December 1998 and (b) December 2003.

John Healey: Payroll Giving schemes allow employees to make donations to charities directly from their pay packets. The Government introduced improvements to the Payroll Giving scheme in Budget 2000. At that time, a 10 per cent. supplement on all donations made through Payroll Giving schemes was introduced for a three-year period, until April 2003. This was extended until April 2004.
	There are no centrally held figures for the number of employers (or FTSE 250 companies) providing Payroll Giving schemes. The Association of Payroll Giving Agencies provides data to the Inland Revenue on the number of new Payroll Giving contracts set up. From these figures, it is estimated that there were 8,947 Payroll Giving schemes at 30 June 1998, which had increased to 12,782 by 30 June 2000. A further 3,299 new schemes had been set up by 30 June 2003. However, this does not give an accurate figure for the number of employers offering schemes as some employers operate more than one scheme and some schemes may be dormant.
	The Inland Revenue has measured employee access to Payroll Giving schemes through NOP surveys. In July 1999, this indicated that around one in five employees (5.75 million) had access to a Payroll Giving scheme. In July 2003, the proportion was about the same (one in five), but the growth in employment means that this equates to six million employees.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Roy Beggs: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce a research and development tax incentive in Northern Ireland.

Dawn Primarolo: The research and development tax credit is available to companies for qualifying expenditure on research and development, including those in Northern Ireland. As announced at the Pre-Budget Report, following consultation, the Government intend to simplify and extend the coverage of research and development tax credits.

Thalidomide Trust

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to instruct the Inland Revenue to allow the Thalidomide Trust to make all distributions tax exempt under section 329 of the Finance Act 1996.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue applies the law as set down by Parliament. It would not be appropriate for Ministers to instruct the Inland Revenue to apply the law in a particular way. Discussions between the trustees of the Thalidomide Trust and officials of the Inland Revenue are currently taking place on this issue. While no conclusion has yet been reached the Government believe we should await the outcome of those discussions.

Unemployment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of unemployment in each (a) county and (b) Lancashire constituency was in each year since 1995; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 10 February 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment rates in Lancashire. (153510)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following the standard International Labour Organisation definitions. Table 1 gives unemployment rates for the administrative county of Lancashire for the twelve month period ending February of each year from 1997 to 2002. Comparable information is not available for earlier years. The LFS sample size is too small to give reliable information about unemployment in each constituency in Lancashire.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling variability.
	ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for local areas including Parliamentary Constituencies. Table 2 gives the annual average percentage of resident working age population who are ISA claimants in the administrative county of Lancashire and for each Constituency in Lancashire for the years 1996 to 2003. Comparable figures for Counties and Parliamentary Constituencies based on the 1995 boundaries are only available from 1996. The data are not seasonally adjusted.
	
		Table 1Unemployment rates(10) in the administrative County of Lancashire
		
			 Twelve month period ending February Per cent 
		
		
			 1997 5.6 
			 1998 4.9 
			 1999 4.2 
			 2000 5.4 
			 2001 4.4 
			 2002 3.8 
		
	
	(10) Unemployed as a percentage of the economically active population
	Note:
	These LFS estimates have not been interim-adjusted to reflect the 2001 Census results
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey
	
		Table 2Percentage of resident working age population claiming JSA annual averages(11)
		
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Administrative county   
			 Lancashire 4.2 3.2 2.8 2.7 2.4 2.1 2.0 1.9 
			  
			 Parliamentary constituencies(12) 
			 Blackpool North and Fleetwood(13) 5.9 4.7 3.9 3.6 3.4 3.2 2.8 2.6 
			 Burnley 3.6 2.9 2.6 2.9 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.0 
			 Chorley 3.8 2.6 2.1 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.6 1.4 
			 Fylde 2.7 1.9 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.2 
			 Hyndburn 3.6 2.9 2.7 2.5 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.0 
			 Lancaster and Wyre 3.6 2.8 2.4 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.5 1.3 
			 Pendle 3.8 2.8 2.6 2.9 2.7 2.4 2.2 2.1 
			 Preston 7.1 5.5 4.6 4.3 3.9 3.4 3.3 3.1 
			 Ribble Valley 2.2 1.5 1.1 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.8 
			 Rossendale and Darwen(14) 3.3 2.4 2.3 2.5 2.2 2.0 1.9 1.7 
			 South Ribble 3.2 2.2 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.3 
			 West Lancashire 5.8 4.6 4.3 4.2 3.5 3.1 3.1 2.9 
		
	
	(11) The percentage of resident working age population of an area. The population denominators are based on output area data from the 2001 census.
	(12) Based on 1995 constituency boundaries available from January 1996
	(13) Part in Blackpool Unitary Authority
	(14) Part in Blackburn with Darwen Unitary Authority
	Note:
	The data are not seasonally adjusted
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus administrative system

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Brownfield Land

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which brownfield sites in Northumberland are on English Partnerships' Register.

Keith Hill: The English Partnerships Register is based on the National Land Use Database (NLUD) of Previously Developed Land, which shows an estimated total of 600 hectares of brownfield land in Northumberland. Of the total, 350 hectares are vacant or derelict and 250 hectares are currently in use but are known to have potential for redevelopment. Information on individual sites is owned by the local authorities which supplied it and is available to public sector bodies through the NLUD website on signature of a licence. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is working with English Partnerships, the Information and Development Agency (IDeA) and Ordnance Survey on a system of licensing which will make the information generally available on similar terms.

Care Homes (Sprinklers)

Ross Cranston: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to take steps to make it compulsory for care homes for the elderly to be installed with sprinklers; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: I refer my hon. Friend to the written statement given by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Mr. Hope), on 4 February 2004, Official Report, column 41WS.

Community Projects

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the work of the Active Community Unit; and what its budget is for each financial year from 200102 to 200506.

Fiona Mactaggart: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government's commitment to engaging with communities to strengthen civil society and build civil renewal has been reflected in the work of what is now the Active Communities Directorate in the Home Office. Last year, the work of the Active Community Unit was expanded to incorporate a Charities Unit and a Civil Renewal Unit. Through the new Active Communities Directorate, the Home Office aims to build strong, thriving communities where everyone, regardless of age, race or social background has a stake in society.
	A vibrant voluntary and community sector is central to delivering this vision. The Government's commitment to work with the sector is set out in the Compact and has been underpinned through recent spending reviews. From 2001 to 2006, an extra 155 million is being invested in supporting volunteering. From 2003 to 2006, an extra 218 million is being invested in strengthening the sector's ability to deliver high quality and effective services. This includes the 125 million futurebuilders programme, which is being distributed by an independent provider under contract to the Home Office. These additional investments are mainly programme spending received by the voluntary and community sector and volunteering initiatives.
	The overall budget for the work on Active Communities for each financial year from 200102 to 200506, rounded to the nearest million pounds, is as follows:
	
		 million
		
			  Core funds Spending review commitments Futurebuilders fund 
		
		
			 200102 21 25  
			 200203 22 35  
			 200304 21 60 10 
			 200405 21 63 57 
			 200506 21 65 58

Fire Service

Huw Edwards: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made in the procurement of a replacement radio system for the fire service; when he expects that the contract will be awarded; and when he expects the new system to be operational.

Nick Raynsford: Following evaluation of the responses received to the Invitation to Submit Proposals for a radio system for the Fire and Rescue Services, negotiation has begun with those suppliers who were short listed. It is planned to award the Firelink contract in July 2004 with roll-out due to be completed by the end of December 2007.

Housing Development Strategy (Islington)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the London borough of Islington on a housing development strategy that would ensure an increase in the number of properties for rent by the council and housing associations; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: I have had no specific discussions with Islington on this issue. Officials at the Government Office for London have recently agreed as fit for purpose Islington's 200407 Housing Strategy. This sets out their need for affordable, including social, housing and the steps they are taking to meet the demand.

Islington Council

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of objections to the methods of consultation used by Islington council on an arm's length management organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The London borough of Islington applied to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister in January for approval under section 27 of the Housing Act 1985 to delegate its housing management functions to its Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently considering the consultation undertaken by the borough and all the representations received as part of the assessment of this application.

Local Government Finance

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will rank each county council and unitary authority according to the per capita level per authority, listing the grant amount in each case.

Nick Raynsford: Two tables have been made available in the Library of the House. The first table shows the per capita 200405 formula grant for shire counties, ranked in order. The second table shows the per capita 200405 formula grant for unitary authorities (i.e. London boroughs (including the City of London), metropolitan districts, and shire unitary authorities).
	Two tables have been provided since shire counties do not provide the same services as unitary authorities. Unitary authorities provide a broadly equivalent service to both shire counties and shire districts in two-tier shire areas.
	However care should be taken even when comparing only shire counties or only unitary authorities.
	Shire counties that are in areas where Local Government Re-organisation has occurred do not have responsibility for fire services, whereas the other shire counties do.
	The City of London has additional responsibility for police services within its area and the Isle of Wight and Isles of Scilly have responsibility for fire services within their areas. Within the London area, responsibility for public transport lies with Transport for London.

Social Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action his Department has taken to ensure that all social sector homes have (a) adequate loft and cavity wall insulation, (b) an efficient heating system and (c) a minimum energy efficiency rating.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has a Public Service Agreement to provide that all social sector tenants have the opportunity of a decent home by 2010. The decent homes standard has four criteria, one of which relates to thermal comfort and requires the home to have efficient heating as well as effective insulation.
	Delivery of the decent homes target will involve carrying out improvement works to the thermal comfort of 1.26 million dwellings and will ensure that all social sector homes have effective insulation and efficient heating. Of these 77 per cent. fail on insulation, 17 per cent. fail on heating and 6 per cent. fail on both.
	In addition, all new social sector homes grant-funded by the Housing Corporation are required to achieve an EcoHomes 'Pass' rating, which goes beyond the minimum standards for energy efficiency of all new developments that are set out in part L of the Building Regulations. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to further amendments to Part L which will increase the energy efficiency of new dwellings and which should be in place by 2005.
	There is no requirement that social homes meet a minimum energy efficiency rating.

Social Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what studies his Department has commissioned into the standards of (a) insulation and (b) heating systems in social sector housing.

Keith Hill: The English House Condition Survey provides a comprehensive range of data on insulation and heating standards in the social sector stock. The latest data are from the 2001 survey. Information from the 200203 combined survey will be available in November 2004.

Social Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the adequacy of the decent homes standard set for social housing.

Keith Hill: When the decent homes target was first set, a definition was established so that those responsible for delivery were working to a common outcome, resources required for delivery could be established and progress tracked. A decent home is one which:
	meets the current statutory minimum standard for housing (fitness standard)
	is in a reasonable state of repair
	has reasonably modern facilities and services
	provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort
	The standard is a minimum standard. It is the standard that triggers action and is not the standard that we expect work to be done to. The guidance on implementation of the standard encourages landlords, in partnership with their tenants, to go beyond the basic requirements of the decent homes standard where possible.
	Resources available to tackle poor condition housing are limited and therefore we focussed the definition on the essentials to provide a warm, wind and weather tight home.

Social Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) council houses and flats and (b) social housing units were built in each of the last 25 years.

Keith Hill: National numbers, based on reports from local authorities and National House-Building Council, are published in Housing Statistics 2003 (Tables 2.5a-2.5f), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Social Housing

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received concerning the proportion of social housing to be included in new developments in Greater London; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The issue is frequently raised in the context of individual planning cases and sometimes in relation to borough unitary development plans and associated supplementary planning guidance. The issue was discussed at the examination in public of the draft London Plan in April 2003. Since then, the House Builders' Federation have raised the issue in discussions with officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Travellers

Andrew Selous: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in circumstances when unauthorised developments by travellers and gipsies are permitted by planning inspectors or the Secretary of State because of the traveller and gipsy status of the inhabitants, what requirements his Department places on those inhabitants to maintain a traveller or gipsy lifestyle; and what this lifestyle must consist of.

Keith Hill: For the purposes of planning law, a gipsy is a person of nomadic habit of life, whatever their race or origin. Nomadic implies a connection between the person's travels and their means of making or seeking their livelihood. Gipsy status may be a material consideration taken into account in deciding whether to grant planning permission for a caravan site established without it. Planning permission is not simply granted because of the gipsy status of the inhabitants. Court decisions mean that nomadic and gipsy status are not necessarily lost where travel is periodic, seasonal or ceases temporarily. However, a person who retired permanently from travelling for whatever reason (e.g. ill-health) would cease to be a gipsy for planning law purposes and would be in breach of a planning condition limiting the use of a caravan site to gipsies. Enforcement of planning control is a matter for the local planning authority.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Bribery

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what procedures the UK Trade and Investment Business Group has in place to prevent corruption and bribery on projects supported under the Overseas Projects Fund.

Mike O'Brien: The Overseas Projects Fund (OPF) provides financial assistance towards the pre-contractual costs incurred by British companies when pursuing major overseas projects. The scheme closed to new applications on 7 July 2003. British companies receiving assistance under the OPF Scheme must provide UKTI with regular reports of their pre-contractual activities and submit auditor's reports in respect of the claims for reimbursement of the eligible costs they incur. In any cases where the claims give rise to any need for further clarification this is sought from the company prior to making a payment. Before the award of OPF, the post in the country where the project is located provides UKTI with an evaluation of both the project and the company involved.
	UKTI staff administering the OPF Scheme have internal guidance on bribery and corruption, details of which are in my reply to the hon. Member on 4 February 2004, Official Report, column 876W.

Broadband

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans Ofcom has to support alternative service providers offering sustainable broadband solutions by amending the charges applied to these providers for activation and service migration in the broadband market.

Stephen Timms: These are matters for the Office of Communications (Ofcom). I have, therefore, asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Broadband

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the means by which community broadband networks can access advice and financial support from her Department for their campaigns.

Stephen Timms: The joint DTI/Defra Rural Broadband Unit has recently published a toolkit to help rural communities and businesses understand the issues surrounding access to broadband.
	DTI and Defra are supporting the Community Broadband Network (CBN) which aims to offer a collaboration network for those setting up community-owned projects. The CBN is a partnership that includes RuralNet and the Phone Co-op and will create a market place to help bring together those who need advice with those who have the experience.
	DTI are supporting a broadband place on the UK Villages website. This will see a dedicated broadband 'space' on all pages serving the 32,000 communities on that website and will enable communities around the UK to share advice and experiences of broadband.
	The regional development agencies and devolved administrations are able to offer support and advice for community broadband campaigns. For example, the South-East England Development Agency has produced an online toolkit to support the development of wireless community broadband networks. htto://www.seeonline.net/broadband/communityselfhelp.

Competitiveness (Environmental Targets)

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the target for the reduction of carbon emissions on the overall competitiveness of UK industry.

Stephen Timms: The Department has published a number of assessments of the impact of meeting carbon reduction targets on the competitiveness of UK industry. Modelling work undertaken for the 2003 energy White Paper looked at the implications of 20 per cent. and 30 per cent. reductions in CO2 emissions by 2020. The assessment is available at annex F of www.dti.gov.uk/energy/whitepaper/phase2.pdf.
	Further work has also recently been published looking at the trade and regional implications of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme which is due to start in January 2005. This is available at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/euetsimplications.pdf.

Electricity Supply

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of (a) projected supplies and (b) projected usage of electricity for the coming years; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Latest DTI projections of future electricity demand are set out in updated energy projections published in July 2003 and available on the DTI website: http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/projections.pdf.
	NETA places strong incentives on suppliers to contract for their customers' demand and also places strong incentives on generators to deliver the power that they have contracted to deliver.

Electricity Supply

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to secure the continuity of the electricity supply.

Stephen Timms: The Government attach great importance to reliable electricity suppliesreliable supply is one of the four key goals of energy policy as set out in the Government's Energy White Paper.
	We are confident that a market-based approach for provision of electricity will workthere has been evidence of that this year, as mothballed plant has been brought back in response to earlier projections that of inadequate capacity. Indeed, National Grid Transco recently announced that the winter generation margin had increased to 21.6 per cent., indicating the ability of the electricity market to deliver secure supplies, including the maintenance of secure supplies during the recent cold weather.
	If the market is to work, it needs confidence that Government will not intervenewe have said we will not intervene in the market except in extreme circumstances, to protect safety. That remains our position. But we are not complacent and, through JESS, we and Ofgem continually monitor developments and look for ways to improve the operation of the market.

Electricity Supply

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has in place to ensure that the power cuts that affected (a) areas of London and Kent on 28 August 2003 and (b) the West Midlands on 5 September 2003 will not re-occur.

Stephen Timms: Officials in my Engineering Inspectorate monitor power failures attributed to the national grid and they liaise with staff in the transmission companies to ensure adequate remedial measures are put in place. At my request, inspectors recently completed a formal investigation of the major interruptions on 28 August and 5 September 2003.
	The investigation has highlighted a number of issues in connection with the power cuts. The inspectors' conclusions and recommendations are being passed to the electricity companies concerned, so that they can take the necessary action to enhance the robustness of their networks, and so make such occurrences less likely. The Engineering Inspectorate will be holding discussions with the companies concerned and monitoring the action they take. It has powers to ensure compliance with any recommendations made.

Home Computing Initiatives

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had with representatives of the Swedish Government about home computing initiatives, with particular reference to the annual tax exemption on loaned computers announced by the Chancellor in 1999.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	I understand that Inland Revenue officials have had contact in the past with officials in the Swedish Ministry of Finance to obtain information about the benefits tax exemption that applies to computers in Sweden.

Information Technology

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been spent in each of the last five years on promoting internet use among micro and small businesses.

Stephen Timms: Through the Information Society Initiative and its successor the UK online for business programme, the Government has spent the following on promoting the use of the Internet and ICT:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 19992000 10.1 
			 200001 13.9 
			 200102 15.1 
			 200203 13.1 
			 200304 (15)7 
		
	
	(15) Forecast outturn.

Internet Shopping

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's support for the Internet Shopping Is Safe campaign; and what assessment she has made of the campaign's contribution to consumer confidence in e-commerce.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government have been pleased to lend their support to the Interactive Media in Retail Group's (IMRG) Internet Shopping Is Safe Campaign on past occasions.
	The Government welcome private sector initiatives to promote e-commerce. Business has an important role to play in spreading good practice and in raising consumer awareness about safe internet use.
	My Department has made no assessment of the impact of the IMRG campaign on consumer confidence in e-commerce.
	The Government are continuing their efforts to improve consumers' access to better information about online shopping through their Safe Internet Shopping initiative.

Labour Disputes

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the average cost of working days lost due to labour disputes in (a) the public sector and (b) the private sector for each year between 1995 and 2003; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 29 January 2004
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary on 2 February 2004, Official Report, columns 63536W.

Manufacturing Advisory Service

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Manufacturing Advisory Service; and whether her Department will continue to fund this service in future years.

Jacqui Smith: I receive regular reports on the performance of the Manufacturing Advisory Service. These highlight the great success that the service has achieved as a source of practical advice and support to manufacturers in England and Wales since its launch in April 2002. More than 5,400 companies have benefited from initial diagnostic visits by the service's expert advisers; of these, over 1,100 have gone on to undertake in-depth projects, resulting in productivity improvements averaging 38 per cent. and an annualised added value benefit approaching 38 million.
	The Department's funding for the Manufacturing Advisory Service, which is at least matched by the English Regional Development Agencies and the Welsh Development Agency, will amount to 4.7 million in 200304 and 3.4 million in 200405. We are in the process of discussing with the Regional Development Agencies how the service will be funded in future years.

Nuclear Waste

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much imported nuclear waste has been dealt with by NIREX; what revenue NIREX has received for dealing with that waste; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: None. The UK does not allow the import of radioactive waste, and Nirex has no role in handling spent nuclear fuel from overseas.

Nuclear Waste

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the costs that will be incurred as a result of her plans for intermediate level waste substitution.

Stephen Timms: The costs associated with ILW substitution are dealt with in the Regulatory Impact Assessment at Appendix 2 of the Consultation document, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Nuclear Waste

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much additional nuclear waste she estimates will be stored in the United Kingdom as a result of her plans for intermediate level waste substitution.

Stephen Timms: The NAC International report estimates that the volume of overseas intermediate level radioactive waste (ILW) retained in the UK as a result of ILW substitution would be about 1.4 per cent. of the UK's total ILW. This amounts to approximately 3,000m 3 . This would be partially offset by a reduction in high level waste that would otherwise be retained in the UK of about 50m 3 .

Overseas Projects Fund

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the companies which have received support from the Overseas Projects Fund since 1997, stating in each instance (a) the amount received by each company and (b) the project for which the support was provided.

Mike O'Brien: The Overseas Projects Fund (OPF) Scheme closed to new applications on 7 July 2003. The scheme provides financial assistance towards the pre-contractual costs incurred by British companies when pursuing major overseas projects. It does not provide finance for the project involved. Since 1 January 1997, 100 companies have received OPF funding of 21 million in respect of 154 projects. Disclosure of individual OPF awards to companies could compromise their efforts to win overseas business. (Exemptions 13 and 14 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applythird party confidentiality and information given in confidence).

Printer Cartridge Remanufacturing Industry

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether she has met representatives from the printer cartridge remanufacturing industry to discuss the scope of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Stephen Timms: DTI Ministers have not received any requests for meetings with representatives of the printer cartridge remanufacturing industry.

Productivity

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of enterprise areas on (a) the overall productivity of UK businesses and (b) reducing disparities in regional productivity.

Jacqui Smith: Enterprise areas were announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2002 pre-Budget report. A range of policy measures, some of which are currently still under development or subject to new legislation, will benefit enterprise areas. It is too early for an assessment of the contribution of these measures to economic regeneration or productivity to have been made.

Wind Turbines

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effects of low frequency noise from wind turbines on human health; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Currently planning authorities take into account the recommendations and methodologies for the measurement of noise in the case of wind farms, as set out in the report ETSU-R-97: The Assessment and Rating of Noise from Wind Farms.
	The methodologies applied during the planning application stage to satisfy authorities that noise emission levels will fall within accepted levels do not include the measurement of infrasound as we are not aware of any scientifically validated evidence that infrasound emitted from wind turbines affects human health.

Project Funding

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding has been provided by her Department to help finance (a) the Rethinking Construction Initiative, (b) the Sustainable Technologies Initiative, (c) the UK Online for Business Initiative, (d) the Waste and Resource Action Programme, (e) the Euroim II Initiative, (f) the Feasibility Studies Initiative for SMES, (g) the Local Partnership Fund and (h) the Technology Partnership Initiative in each financial year since the inception of each; what funding has been allocated to finance each in future financial years; and if she will estimate the extent to which businesses have benefited from each initiative to date.

Patricia Hewitt: The following table shows the level of funding provided to 200203 and the projected spend in future years.
	
		Expenditure (000)
		
			  Rethinking Construction Initiative (a) Sustainable Technologies Initiative UK Online for Business (c) WRAP (d) EUROIM II Local Business Partnership Fund (e) Technology Partnership Initiative 
		
		
			 19992000 n/a 132 350 
			 200001 n/a 213 13,900  18  500 
			 200102 1,494 312 15,100 650 49 23 500 
			 200203 1,696 821 13,100 5,000 20 259 500 
			 200304 1,723 1,170 7,000 5,000 65 314 450 
			 200405  2,107  n/a 38   
			 200506  1,554  
			 200607  1,354  
			 200708  (b)l,786  
			 200809
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Funded by former DETR 1998 to June 2001. These data are not readily available.
	2. Shows funding in years 200708 and 200809.
	3. UK online for business was established in September 2000 as a successor programme to the Information Society Initiative.
	4. Expenditure in 200001 includes the period April to August 2000, when the ISI was still in force.
	5. Funding for 200405 will be announced shortly.
	6. The Local Partnership Fund is not a DTI scheme. Expenditure figures have been provided for the Local Business Partnership Fund.
	7. Some historic expenditure data have been omitted from this reply due to the disproportionate cost of providing it.
	8. Forecast expenditure reflects outstanding legal commitments.
	Benefits to business: (a) Rethinking Construction Initiative In the four years to 2003 projects involved in the demonstration projects programme (worth 7 billion) have achieved:
	cost savings of 6 per cent. compared to the industry average, equating to 420 million;
	a 61 per cent. lower accident rate than the industry average, projected as a 360 million cost saving; and
	2 per cent. higher profits than the industry average, equating to 140 million. (b) Sustainable Technologies Initiative The Sustainable Technologies Initiative supports collaborative research and technological development to improve the sustainable economic growth of UK business. (c) UK Online for Business UK online for business programme has helped several hundred thousand businesses, with over 250,000 interactions per year. The programme has provided advice, publications, tools, case studies and research to help companies understand and adopt e-business. A recent survey showed high levels of customer satisfaction: 89 per cent. of customers using the help desk facility said they would use the service again, and 87 per cent. using the call centre said they would use the service again. Satisfaction levels with UK online for business publications were also high at 86 per cent. (d) Waste and Resources Action Programme Numerous businesses have benefited from receiving advice and financial support from WRAP. Further details can be obtained from the WRAP Annual Report and Accounts, which are available at: www.wrap.org.uk (e) Euroim II EUROIM II helps businesses in the industrial minerals sector to find partners and prepare proposals for research and development support from EU programmes. (f) Feasibility Studies Initiative for SMEs This is not a specific DTI initiative, although feasibility studies are a key feature of the new Grant For Investigating An Innovative Idea. (g) Local Partnership Fund The Local Partnership Fund is not a DTI scheme. DTI supports Local Business Partnerships through the Local Business Partnership Fund. This aims to develop a culture of education and dialogue with enforcers, and reduce the cost to business of implementing regulation by helping businesses to understand their responsibilities and making it easier for them to comply. (h) Technology Partnership Initiative The Technology Partnership Initiative promotes the UK environmental technology and services sector overseas and is a means of introducing UK companies to international markets.

Public Bodies (Membership)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who the members of the (a) Northern Ireland Committee on Telecommunications, (b) Economic and Social Research Council, (c) Medical Research Council, (d) Natural Environment Research Council and (e) Horticulture Research International were on 1 January; what their term of office is in each case; and what their remuneration is.

Patricia Hewitt: The information is as follows.
	(a) The Northern Ireland Committee on Telecommunications ceased to exist on 31 December 2003.
	(b) The Economic and Social Research Council consists of the following members:
	
		
			 Members Period of Appointments 
		
		
			 Alan Alexander 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2006 
			 Patricia Broadfoot 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2004 
			 Frances Cairncross(16) 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2004 
			 Andrew Chesher 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2004 
			 Helen Dent 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2006 
			 Fiona Devine 31 January 2003 to 31 July 2005 
			 Ian Diamond(17) 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2006 
			 Hayden Ellis 1 August 2002 to 31 July 2004 
			 Paul Johnson(18) 1 August 2002 to 31 July 2004 
			 Jonathan Adair Turner 12 August 2003 to 31 July 2006 
			 Robin Wensley 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2004 
			 Stephen Wilks 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2004 
			 Alan Wilson 1 August 2002 to 31 July 2004 
			 Andrew Winckle 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2006 
		
	
	(16) Chair.
	(17) Chief Executive.
	(18) This member is a Government official and does not receive remuneration from the Councils for this work.
	Note:
	Frances Cairncross has been reappointed for the period 1 April 2004 to 30 March 2007.
	The Chair is paid 8,000 per annum and the members 6,000 per annum. The Chief Executive is not paid as a Council member and currently receives 81,800 per annum. He is also eligible for a bonus of up to 20 per cent. of salary.
	(c) The Medical Research Council consists of the following members:
	
		
			 Members Period of Appointments 
		
		
			 David Armstrong 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2006 
			 Ernest Armstrong(19) 1 March 2001 to 28 February 2005 
			 Colin Blakemore(20) 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2007 
			 William Castell 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2005 
			 Anthony Cleaver(21) 1 October 2002 to 30 September 2006 
			 Kay Davies 1 October 2002 to 31 July 2005 
			 Richard Denton 1 August 2002 to 31 July 2004 
			 Peter Fellner 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2007 
			 Derek Flint 1 August 2002 to 31 July 2006 
			 Ruth Hall 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2004 
			 Ian MacLennan 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2004 
			 Richard North 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2004 
			 John Pattison(19) 1 September 1999 to 31 July 2004 
			 Generva Richardson 1 March 2000 to 29 February 2004 
			 Nancy Rothwell 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2004 
			 John Savill 1 August 2002 to 31 July 2005 
		
	
	(19) These members are Government officials and do not receive remuneration from the Councils for this work.
	(20) Chief Executive.
	(21) Chair.
	Note:
	The Chair is paid 8,000 per annum and the members 6,000 per annum. The Chief Executive is not paid as a Council member and currently receives 110,000 per annum. He is also eligible for a bonus of up to 20 per cent. of salary.
	(d) The Natural Environment Research Council consists of the following members:
	
		
			 Members Period of Appointments 
		
		
			 Valerie Brown 1 August 2002 to 31 July 2005 
			 Howard Dalton(22) 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2006 
			 Trevor Davies 1 November 2001 to 31 July 2005 
			 Michael Depledge 15 September 2003 to 31 July 2006 
			 Lesley Glover 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2004 
			 Colin Hicks(22) 4 December 2002 to 30 November 2006 
			 Edwin Jenner 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2005 
			 John Lawton(23) 1 October 2002 to 30 September 2005 
			 Robert Margetts(24) 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2006 
			 Karen Morgan 1 August 2002 to 31 July 2005 
			 Sara Parkin 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2006 
			 Judith Petts 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2006 
			 David Read 1 August 2002 to 31 July 2005 
			 David G. Roberts 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2006 
		
	
	(22) This member is a Government official and does not receive remuneration from the Councils for this work.
	(23) Chief Executive.
	(24) Chair.
	Note:
	The Chair is paid 8,000 per annum and the members 6,000 per annum. The Chief Executive is not paid as a Council member and currently receives 91,000 per annum. He is also eligible for a bonus of up to 20 per cent. of salary.
	(e) Appointments to Horticulture Research International are made by Defra. Details are set out in Defra's response to parliamentary question number 150839.

Union Modernisation Fund

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the planned budget is of the Union Modernisation Fund for each year between 2004 and 2009.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We have not yet set the fund's budgets for individual years because our planning is at an early stage. I envisage that total spend from the fund will be of the order of 5 million to 10 million. I do not expect any expenditure from the fund before 200506 and I have not yet decided when it will close.

Union Modernisation Fund

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the Union Modernisation Fund will be (a) discretionary and (b) for helping workplace representatives to understand corporate accounts and corporate strategies; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Our ideas to establish a fund are in their early stages. However, we plan to undertake a full public consultation on the draft rules of the fund in the autumn. When we have finalised the detailed rules of the fund after those consultations, we will be able to answer the particular questions you raise.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Schools for the Future

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will announce his decisions on the next round of Schools for the Future.

David Miliband: We aim to announce successful projects in the first wave of Building Schools for the Future shortly. A written statement will be made to Parliament. Later this year, we expect to make announcements about subsequent waves of funding.

Behaviour Improvement Programme

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 8 January 2004, Official Report, column 470W, to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff), which local education authorities have received funds under the Behaviour Improvement Programme; and how much money they have received in each year since 1997 to enable them to tackle pupil behaviour.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 19 January 2004
	The following tables provide information relating to local education authorities in the first and second phases of the Behaviour Improvement Programme (BIP). As well as BIP funding, they provide details of other DfES funding allocated through Standards Fund grants that was most relevant to pupil behaviour and attendance as well as inclusion more generally. Details of expenditure on behaviour-specific measures are not collected centrally and cannot therefore be disaggregated.
	The grants have been spent on a wide range of measures to support schools and pupils, including learning mentors, learning support units, education welfare officers, behaviour and education support teams, additional time for senior school staff to focus on behaviour and attendance issues, electronic registration systems for schools, enhanced pupil referral units and other forms of alternative provision for excluded pupils, additional services on school sites to increase community involvement and support for parents of disaffected pupils.
	
		
		
			  199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 
			  Behaviour grants Behaviour grants School inclusion: pupil support grant EIC  learning mentors and LSUs grant School inclusion: pupil support grant EIClearning mentors and LSUs grant School inclusion: pupil support grant EIClearning mentors and LSUs grant 
		
		
			  Phase 1 BIP LEAs  
			 Barking and Dagenham 53,100 64,450 181,537  324,154 448,000 424,200 768,000 
			 Birmingham 51,120 208,564 1,431,850 2,660,963 2,745,445 8,511,400 3,297,300 10,474,400 
			 Bolton 144,060 138,600 249,648  450,438 - 524,510  
			 Bradford 117,600 126,765 370,910 1,212,970 1,038,324 3,846,000 1,259,400 4,688,000 
			 Brent 156,900 155,000   149,399 580,000 550,700 994,000 
			 Camden 72,600 97,300 274,044 345,033 338,762 1,102,900 449,850 1,316,900 
			 City of Bristol 65,040 101,625 300,403  601,542 734,000 650,900 1,258,000 
			 City of Nottingham  125,012 300,231  759,446 810,000 919,738 1,389,000 
			 Enfield 285,240 175,280 299,300  441,845  582,050 893,000 
			 Greenwich 84,000 117,250 341,588 543,479 600,907 1,791,000 739,550 2,210,000 
			 Hackney 92,400 150,000 351,785 395,438 567,223 1,422,300 637,250 1,792,300 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 12,000 31,750 155,545 235,290 288,194 789,000 372,500 975,000 
			 Haringey 205,560 144,885 249,459 456,762 553,976 1,609,800 740,500 2,023,800 
			 Hounslow 39,960 38,000 102,463  375,727  455,450 674,000 
			 Islington 189,600 130,500 305,285 368,499 473,002 1,315,600 579,700 1,646,600 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 99,300 3,780 133,339 137,743 152,181 826,800 152,762 1,143,800 
			 Knowsley 76,800 24,375 291,054 507,285 775,415 1,682,500 908,550 2,076,500 
			 Lambeth 118,020 137,093 316,149 339,617 542,372 1,347,900 640,450 1,744,900 
			 Leeds 256,320 302,250 473,013 1,363,727 1,087,851 4,434,200 1,335,350 5,440,200 
			 Lewisham 114,900 121,440 280,279 527,111 583,335 1,752,800 685,400 2,166,800 
			 Liverpool 209,280 178,000 398,101 1,344,798 1,494,998 4,211,800 1,797,800 5,122,800 
			 Manchester 107,160 122,513 434,635 1,080,735 1,432,680 3,603,400 1,673,000 4,499,400 
			 Newham 91,200 178,500 336,066 773,793 839,869 2,539,900 1,124,650 3,121,900 
			 Oldham   205,517  469,200  573,500 815,000 
			 Reading   69,636  146,801  152,700  
			 Rochdale 127,680 135,000 193,750  502,491 626,000 589,700 1,073,000 
			 Salford 44,880 48,452 198,530 478,338 580,082 1,615,700 641,623 2,002,700 
			 Sheffield  102,172 255,330 1,009,575 926,995 3,235,800 1,007,900 3,973,800 
			 Slough borough council  125,100 126,622  162,144  191,500  
			 Southwark 87,840 67,389 427,031 544,656 802,783 1,870,400 974,000 2,342,400 
			 Tower Hamlets 247,860 185,183 340,939 775,891 954,690 2,400,100 1,189,250 2,915,100 
			 Waltham Forest 151,560 151,050 259,372 508,202 521,261 1,682,300 627,050 2,371,300 
			 Westminster 47,100 45,000 207,372 315,512 328,063 640,900 370,000 640,900 
			 Wolverhampton 215,880 209,677 279,733  455,057  565,550 714,000 
		
	
	
		
		
			  200203 200304 
			  School inclusion: pupil support grant EIClearning mentors and LSUs grant Behaviour improvement programme EIClearning mentors and LSUs grant Behaviour improvement programme 
		
		
			 Phase 1 BIP LEAs  
			 Barking and Dagenham 435,064 849,325 816,667 907,415 1,400,335 
			 Birmingham 3,132,435 11,045,215 875,000 11,452,940 1,442,000 
			 Bolton 534,475  875,000  1,442,000 
			 Bradford 1,206,891 4,936,502 875,000 5,114,004 1,442,000 
			 Brent 564,522 1,098,266 875,000 1,172,742 1,442,000 
			 Camden 466,081 1,404,027 875,000 1,466,261 1,442,000 
			 City of Bristol 671,287 1,374,994 816,667 1,458,560 1,400,335 
			 City of Nottingham 936,896 1,509,621 816,667 1,595,780 1,400,335 
			 Enfield 611,153 1,657,990 875,000 1,755,126 1,442,000 
			 Greenwich 742,741 2,324,551 816,667 2,406,373 1,400,335 
			 Hackney 628,813 1,868,779 816,667 1,923,407 1,400,335 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 384,403 1,035,888 875,000 1,079,380 1,442,000 
			 Haringey 768,714 2,129,796 875,000 2,205,507 1,442,000 
			 Hounslow 455,500 1,256,024 816,667 1,332,470 1,400,335 
			 Islington 583,574 1,720,802 875,000 1,773,803 1,442,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 315,861 1,173,608 816,667 1,194,900 1,400,335 
			 Knowsley 894,445 2,175,852 875,000 2,246,817 1,442,000 
			 Lambeth 644,551 1,811,866 816,667 1,859,699 1,400,335 
			 Leeds 1,321,814 5,734,182 875,000 5,944,170 1,442,000 
			 Lewisham 667,643 2,271,569 875,000 2,346,405 1,442,000 
			 Liverpool 1,812,723 5,415,053 875,000 5,623,805 1,442,000 
			 Manchester 1,724,048 4,722,977 875,000 4,882,674 1,442,000 
			 Newham 1,098,115 3,290,486 875,000 3,410,904 1,442,000 
			 Oldham 568,717 1,503,257 875,000 1,584,154 1,442,000 
			 Reading 160,335  875,000 56,661 1,442,000 
			 Rochdale 590,596 1,174,239 875,000 1,246,552 1,442,000 
			 Salford 657,043 2,091,173 875,000 2,154,368 1,442,000 
			 Sheffield 990,027 4,166,982 875,000 4,304,969 1,442,000 
			 Slough borough council 193,933  875,000  1,442,000 
			 Southwark 989,651 2,451,420 875,000 2,529,292 1,442,000 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,224,114 3,088,501 816,667 3,212,359 1,400,335 
			 Waltham Forest 648,442 2,174,202 875,000 2,246,275 1,442,000 
			 Westminster 376,153 707,227 875,000 754,604 1,442,000 
			 Wolverhampton 592,328 1,328,161 875,000 1,408,276 1,442,000 
		
	
	
		
		
			  199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 
			  Behaviour grants Behaviour grants School inclusion: pupil support grant EIClearning mentors and LSUs grant School inclusion: pupil support grant EIClearning mentors and LSUs grant School inclusion: pupil support grant EIClearning mentors and LSUs grant 
		
		
			 Phase 2 BIP LEAs 
			 Barnsley 120,420 144,032 226,442  410,952  515,400 702,000 
			 Blackburn and Darwen  43,375 259,554  491,733  531,120 526,000 
			 Blackpool  99,950 143,058  295,408  329,400 376,000 
			 Doncaster 70,980 60,265 254,912  538,892  632,150 904,000 
			 Baling 118,140  155,241  489,099 631,000 638,800 1,082,000 
			 Gateshead 18,300 21,700 93,588  369,175 524,000 460,930 898,000 
			 Halton  60,727 110,380  303,634 408,000 337,250 699,000 
			 Hartlepool 70,020 87,910 152,496  217,050 312,000 268,000 535,000 
			 Hull 67,200 129,249 241,296  703,101 770,000 856,840 1,320,000 
			 Leicester  125,000 327,835  560,257 798,000 654,350 1,368,000 
			 Luton   171,747  428,344  478,691 646,000 
			 Middlesbrough 34,440 78,550 208,821  427,000 528,000 518,199 906,000 
			 Newcastle 106,800 149,250 182,288  559,043 746,000 702,650 1,279,000 
			 North Tyneside 173,040 175,304 317,220  349,879 490,000 403,350 840,000 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 59,100 165,750 233,484  312,014 512,000 395,300 877,000 
			 Rotherham  46,350 113,477 589,083 444,873 1,844,600 548,550 2,233,600 
			 Sandwell  106,250 308,205  550,000  735,650 991,000 
			 Sefton 94,500 53,500 183,546  525,220 362,000 592,250 1,088,000 
			 Solihull 16,800  42,405  240,646 68,110 278,150 272,440 
			 South Tyneside 20,980 93,350 119,237  372,100 508,000 416,600 871,000 
			 St. Helens  40,849 140,237  303,340 534,000 366,000 915,000 
			 Stockton 63,000  122,544  355,503 557,000 428,600 955,000 
			 Stoke 72,000 93,060 171,242  533,590 676,000 641,165 1,159,000 
			 Sunderland  86,500 202,926  673,264 966,000 819,000 1,656,000 
			 Wandsworth 205,800 118,130 231,103 385,498 417,970 1,311,100 457,450 1,615,100 
			 Wirral 115,980 47,000 221,297  684,558 1,035,000 907,600 1,774,000 
		
	
	
		
		
			  200203 200304 
			  School inclusion: pupil support grant EIClearning mentors and LSUs grant Behaviour improvement programme EIClearning mentors and LSUs grant Behaviour improvement programme 
		
		
			 Phase 2 BIP LEAs  
			 Barnsley 511,429 1,288,961  1,354,647 1,400,000 
			 Blackburn and Darwen 529,450 964,205  1,012,923 1,400,000 
			 Blackpool 341,660 692,942  730,043 1,400,000 
			 Doncaster 623,873 1,674,751  1,770,287 1,400,000 
			 Ealing 659,070 1,204,856  1,292,611 1,400,000 
			 Gateshead 462,240 979,835  1,038,289 1,400,000 
			 Halton 331,430 758,690  801,326 1,400,000 
			 Hartlepool 268,520 583,094  617,446 1,400,000 
			 Hull 861,780 1,436,525  1,519,757 1,400,000 
			 Leicester 687,184 1,489,018  1,575,459 1,400,000 
			 Luton 500,618 1,190,790  1,253,496 1,400,000 
			 Middlesbrough 534,536 977,844  1,029,161 1,400,000 
			 Newcastle 722,975 1,409,663  1,502,993 1,400,000 
			 North Tyneside 393,724 927,376  989,787 1,400,000 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 375,535 946,362  995,906 1,400,000 
			 Rotherham 553,997 2,351,711  2,436,076 1,400,000 
			 Sandwell 731,915 1,824,926  1,922,015 1,400,000 
			 Sefton 577,962 1,615,924  1,711,583 1,400,000 
			 Solihull 292,058 355,985  639,353 1,400,000 
			 South Tyneside 395,770 943,890  995,954 1,400,000 
			 St. Helens 375,174 992,792  1,048,358 1,400,000 
			 Stockton 420,955 1,037,292  1,096,071 1,400,000 
			 Stoke 654,928 1,262,134  1,335,802 1,400,000 
			 Sunderland 859,950 1,810,263  1,920,450 1,400,000 
			 Wandsworth 461,599 1,689,983  1,743,470 1,400,000 
			 Wirral 952,480 1,995,629  2,085,364 1,400,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The gaps in:
	(a) the Behaviour Grants columns relate to new LEAs created by local government reorganisation and LEAs that were unsuccessful in their bids for these competitive grants;
	(b) the School Inclusion: Pupil Support (SIPS) Grant columns reflects the fact that Brent did not accept its SIPS allocation in 19992000;
	(c) the Excellence in Cities (EIC) columns reflects the fact that EIC grants were phased in over a number of years.
	2. The SIPS Grant ended in 200203.
	3. BIP phase 1 commenced September 2002. BIP phase 2 commenced in April 2003.

Condover Hall School

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on Condover Hall school.

David Miliband: Further to my previous answers about Condover Hall and to answers given previously by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, the situation at the school is unchanged. Condover Hall is proposed for closure as from July this year. We understand RNIB is in discussion with Local Education Authorities placing children at the school about suitable alternative provision.

Correspondence

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Spelthorne, dated 9 December 2003, regarding the funding of nursery education at Knowle Park Infant School, Staines; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: My noble Friend the Baroness Ashton replied to the hon. Member's letter of 9 December on 6 January.

Correspondence

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will provide a substantive reply to the hon. Member for Spelthorne to his letter of 27 November 2003, departmental reference 2003/0068433PO.

Stephen Twigg: My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary replied to the hon. Member's letter of 25 November on 12 January.

Criminal Justice Skills Council

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the plans for a criminal justice skills council include computer forensic and security skills; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Proposals for a Justice Sector Skills Council (SSC) are due to be considered by the Sector Skills Development Agency's Licence Assessment Panel on 11 February. The proposed SSC covers:
	Community Justice
	Custodial Care
	Police Forcesincluding Investigative Skills
	Customs and Excise
	Asset Recovery Agency
	Court Service (E and W)
	Crown Prosecution Service (E and W)
	Crown Office and Procurator fiscal (Scotland)
	Scottish Court Service
	NI Court Service
	Dept of Public Prosecutions
	Judges and Magistrates
	Computer Forensicsthe use of software in the detection of crime, forms part of investigative skills covered by the Police Force area of the Justice SSC footprint. This is different from molecular or biological forensic analysis carried out in the laboratory which is covered by SEMTA, the SSC for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies.
	Employers in the security sector are still considering how best they might connect to the Skills for Business network.

Education Review (Gloucestershire)

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received from (a) parents and (b) other involved parties about the secondary schools and sixth form review in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: holding answer 6 February 2004
	The Department has received approximately 100 letters from parents and other interested parties about the review of school provision in Gloucestershire. The review, and any decision on how to proceed, are matters for local decision. The Secretary of State has no role in the process.

Education Review (Gloucestershire)

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with representatives of grammar schools in Gloucestershire following the county's education review; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: holding answer 6 February 2004
	The Secretary of State has not met any representatives of grammar schools from Gloucestershire. The local authority's review and any reorganisation proposals which may follow will fall to be decided by the local School Organisation Committee, or the Adjudicator if the Committee cannot reach a unanimous decision. The Secretary of State has no role in that decision making process.

Faith Schools

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what regulations govern the teaching of religious education in faith schools, with particular reference to the teaching of faiths other than that of the religious group sponsoring the school.

David Miliband: The regulations governing religious education in faith schools are set out in Schedule 19, paragraphs 36 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1988.
	In summary, this sets out that for voluntary controlled schools, the religious education offered is to be in accordance with the LEA's locally agreed syllabus. However, if parents so request, arrangements should be made for religious education to be provided for their children in accordance with any trust deed or the practice followed before the school became controlled.
	For voluntary aided and special agreement schools, the religious education offered is to be determined by the governors in accordance with the trust deed or (where such provision is not made by a trust deed) in accordance with the tenets of the religion or religious denomination, or in line with practice before the school became a voluntary school. But provision in accordance with the LEA's locally agreed syllabus may be made where parents request it and their children cannot conveniently attend a school where that syllabus is in use, unless the LEA is satisfied that it would be unreasonable to make such provision.

Faith Schools

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary faith schools there are, broken down by denomination.

David Miliband: The number of primary and secondary faith schools by denomination is as follows:
	
		
			  Primary Secondary 
		
		
			 Church of England 4,513 207 
			 Roman Catholic 1,718 356 
			 Christian (25) 16 17 
			 Jewish 27 6 
			 Methodist 27 1 
			 Muslim 4 0 
			 Sikh 1 1 
			 Seventh Day Adventist 0 1 
			 Quaker 1 0 
			 Greek Orthodox 1 0 
		
	
	(25) Non-denominational.

Further/Higher Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money in his Department's allocation for support for further and higher education is held in ring-fenced budgets for specific initiatives.

Alan Johnson: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Assumed funding for further education in 200304, excluding learner support funds, is 4.7 billion. This includes funding of 187 million for special initiatives to improve quality and delivery and 216 million earmarked for capital investment.
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) allocates funds to higher education institutions. For the 200304 academic year, HEFCE are allocating total funds of around 5.5 billion, of which 451 million relates to 'special funding' which supports initiatives that are not funded through their recurrent funding methodology, such as the Arts and Humanities Research Board and the Higher Education Innovation Fund; and 364 million is for earmarked capital funding.
	In November 2002 we announced the consolidation of a number of further and higher education funding streams into core funding. In further education we consolidated the funding of pay and staff qualification initiatives into core funding and in higher education we mainstreamed four ring fenced funds 'Golden Hellos', the Promising Researcher Fellowship Scheme, Additional Capital for leading research institutions and Knowledge Exchanges into larger funding allocations. We continue to monitor the number of special funding allocations to ensure that they are appropriately targeted and that demands on institutions are proportionate to the sums involved.

Further/Higher Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of his Department's budget for further and higher education is allocated to grants for higher and further education institutions.

Alan Johnson: Around 92 per cent. of assumed total spending by the Department on further education in England in 200304 goes to institutions, the remainder being spent on student support quality assurance and development in FE. Around 77 per cent. of the total spending by the Department on higher education in England in 200304 goes to institutions, the remainder being spent on student support and other small programmes.

Further/Higher Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the organisations operating in the field of (a) further and (b) higher education, apart from individual higher education institutions, which receive funding from his Department.

Alan Johnson: In further education, the bodies apart from individual FE institutions receiving funding from the Department are:
	Learning and Skills Council
	Ofsted
	Adult Learning Inspectorate
	Learning and Skills Development Agency
	National Institute for Adult and Continuing Education (NIACE)
	Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities
	Capita
	Sector Skills Development Agency
	Institute for Employment Studies
	Confederation of British Industry
	Centre for Enterprise
	Association of Colleges
	Cambridge Training and Development
	London Language and Literacy Unit (LLLU)
	Manchester LEA
	Association of Learning Providers
	Basic Skills Agency
	Institute of Education, University of London
	Thurrock Primary Care NHS Trust
	Centre for British Teachers (CfBT)
	TUC Learning Services
	TOPSS England.
	Mark Haysom, the Learning and Skills Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with a list of all organisations, other than FE institutions, operating in the field of further education that receive funding from the council. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
	In higher education, the bodies receiving funding from the Department or the Higher Education Funding Council for England are:
	Higher Education Funding Council for England
	Teacher Training Agency
	Foundation Degree Forward
	Sector Skills Development Agency
	The Office of the Independent Adjudicator
	Quality Assurance Agency
	Arts and Humanities Research Board
	Student Loans Company
	SKILL (National Bureau for Students with Disabilities)
	Sector Skills Development Agency
	The British Council
	UKCOSA (The Council for International Education)
	The UK Socrates-Erasmus Council
	The UK NARIC (National Academic Recognition and Information Centre)
	The Better Regulation Review Group
	E-Universities Worldwide
	Joint Information Systems Committee
	UK Education and Research Networking Association
	HE Academy
	Leadership Foundation
	Educational Grants Advisory Service
	Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

Further/Higher Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total income of each higher education institution was in England and Wales in each of the past three financial years; and how much of the total income came from student tuition fees in each case.

Alan Johnson: The available information is taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Finance Records and is given in the table.
	
		Tuition fees and total income for HE institutions in England and Wales. 1999/00 to 2001/02
		
			   1999/2000 
			Of which: 
			 HE Institution Total income HE course fees(26) Credit bearing course FE course fees 
		
		
			 Total England 10,464,649 2,190,748 196,709 35,981 
			 Anglia Polytechnic University 77,625 23,765 2,524 103 
			 Aston University 45,953 7,782 2,012 0 
			 Bath Spa University College 18,000 3,631 0 0 
			 The University of Bath 82,198 15,356 1,426 0 
			 Birkbeck College 42,389 8,047 595 0 
			 The University of Birmingham 244,937 41,479 3,828 0 
			 Bishop Grosseteste College 4,604 873 63 0 
			 Bolton Institute of Higher Education 28,504 6,726 152 88 
			 The Arts Institute at Bournemouth(27) (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Bournemouth University 47,653 17,753 1,517 0 
			 The University of Bradford 64,593 11,777 2,448 5,207 
			 Bretton Hall 10,556 2,276 0 27 
			 The University of Brighton 72,250 24,014 852 0 
			 The University of Bristol 176,922 24,151 1,268 0 
			 Brunel University 79,289 18,074 334 169 
			 Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College 39,678 10,665 127 39 
			 The University of Cambridge 372,072 37,586 5,062 0 
			 The Institute of Cancer Research(29) (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Canterbury Christ Church University College 39,850 15,464 477 0 
			 The University of Central England in Birmingham 86,595 27,387 672 143 
			 The University of Central Lancashire 87,722 23,670 764 426 
			 Central School of Speech and Drama 5,462 1,161 98 20 
			 University of Gloucestershire 36,732 7,097 909 40 
			 Chester College of HE 21,826 9,702 122 0 
			 University College Chichester 15,655 3,582 321 0 
			 City University 75,832 33,656 4,220 0 
			 The College of Guidance Studies(30) 1,261 152 0 49 
			 Conservatoire for Dance and Drama(27) (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Coventry University 81,217 24,337 84 0 
			 Cranfield University 106,690 12,967 33,098 0 
			 Cumbria Institute of the Arts 4,957 712 19 0 
			 Darlington College of Arts 2,818 516 0 0 
			 De Montfort University 113,369 29,565 28 0 
			 University of Derby 56,129 15,435 0 717 
			 University of Durham 110,976 18,791 2,678 0 
			 The University of East Anglia 82,758 19,993 1,505 0 
			 The University of East London 60,816 16,642 214 50 
			 Edge Hill College of Higher Education 26,817 8,118 0 0 
			 The University of Essex 54,949 13,314 1,511 0 
			 The University of Exeter 85,603 16,083 2,203 0 
			 Falmouth College of Arts 7,516 2,007 0 111 
			 University of Gloucestershire (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Goldsmiths College 38,966 11,488 258 82 
			 The University of Greenwich 97,092 23,385 0 0 
			 Harper Adams University College 13,095 1,693 243 0 
			 University of Hertfordshire 96,597 30,697 1,065 201 
			 Homerton College 15,026 1,380 39 0 
			 The University of Huddersfield 69,033 13,627 239 0 
			 The University of Hull(31) 77,880 20,651 138 0 
			 Imperial College of Science, Technology 338,972 33,338 1,665 0 
			 Institute of Advanced Nursing Education 9,690 1,035 0 0 
			 Institute of Education 33,010 4,636 1,832 0 
			 The University of Keele 58,450 12,689 0 0 
			 The University of Kent at Canterbury 68,726 15,134 106 764 
			 Kent Institute of Art  Design 14,480 3,703 14 254 
			 King Alfred's College, Winchester 18,209 3,367 831 0 
			 King's College London 312,034 39,029 978 0 
			 Kingston University 80,302 24,889 970 77 
			 The University of Lancaster 84,013 14,103 0 0 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University 87,397 20,960 1,549 366 
			 The University of Leeds 258,747 45,978 3,759 0 
			 The University of Leicester 122,942 25,223 205 0 
			 The University of Lincoln 48,791 12,189 385 0 
			 Liverpool Hope 27,702 4,103 5,342 0 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 97,568 24,584 116 6 
			 The University of Liverpool 179,127 28,657 670 0 
			 London Business School 49,690 15,407 17,136 0 
			 University of London 131,609 14,991 2,289 1,334 
			 London Guildhall University 51,047 13,510 529 459 
			 The London Institute 78,075 18,308 3,687 4,482 
			 London South Bank University 87,757 29,363 1,816 37 
			 London School of Economics and Politics 94,477 39,102 1,819 0 
			 London School of Hygiene  Tropical Medicine 36,565 5,243 0 0 
			 Loughborough University 106,725 16,925 1,413 134 
			 University of Luton 51,275 18,169 457 -25 
			 University of Manchester 297,776 50,043 9,895 0 
			 The University of Manchester Institute c 92,695 17,736 571 1,612 
			 The Manchester Metropolitan University 128,481 28,433 1,001 29 
			 Middlesex University 105,079 36,320 0 0 
			 The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 171,306 20,197 3,485 0 
			 Newman College 6,068 1,090 6 0 
			 The University of North London 59,187 12,017 2,565 0 
			 North Riding College Higher Education 6,647 1,348 0 0 
			 University College Northampton 39,530 10,702 927 88 
			 Northern School of Contemporary Dance 1,195 141 0 13 
			 The University of Northumbria at Newcastle upon Tyne 98,148 34,143 755 200 
			 Norwich School of Art and Design 4,554 765 10 48 
			 The Nottingham Trent University 110,757 25,317 2,233 0 
			 The University of Nottingham 217,037 49,419 3,565 0 
			 The Open University 274,045 101,023 897 0 
			 Oxford Brookes University(31) 76,580 28,409 89 18 
			 The University of Oxford 378,265 31,588 8,874 0 
			 The University of Plymouth 99,889 23,200 841 0 
			 The University of Portsmouth 83,384 23,469 1,179 97 
			 Queen Mary and Westfield College 119,859 15,489 946 0 
			 Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication 5,747 1,398 0 53 
			 The University of Reading 111,430 21,853 1,293 0 
			 The College of Ripon and York St John(33) 20,274 5,362 608 0 
			 University of Surrey, Roehampton 35,796 8,081 622 0 
			 Rose Bruford College 5,832 1,251 0 0 
			 Royal Academy of Music 8,970 2,788 0 413 
			 Royal Agricultural College(27) (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Royal College of Art 17,533 3,281 198 0 
			 Royal College of Music 9,727 2,106 639 0 
			 Royal Holloway and Bedford New College 56,313 11,728 243 307 
			 Royal Northern College of Music 8,355 1,497 0 0 
			 The Royal Veterinary College 23,335 2,498 83 0 
			 St. George's Hospital Medical School 47,529 2,387 435 0 
			 College of St. Mark and St. John 15,901 3,116 1,009 53 
			 St. Martin's College 32,466 12,377 0 0 
			 St. Mary's College 14,322 3,118 401 0 
			 The University of Salford 110,044 30,526 533 43 
			 The School of Oriental and African Studies 32,275 13,564 1,126 0 
			 The School of Pharmacy 9,168 1,608 85 0 
			 Sheffield Hallam University 107,956 28,964 750 172 
			 The University of Sheffield 211,996 43,582 2,679 0 
			 Southampton Institute 54,399 11,400 4,245 34 
			 The University of Southampton 196,607 35,479 1,924 0 
			 Staffordshire University 65,441 17,126 781 17 
			 The University of Sunderland 67,935 12,238 92 47 
			 The Surrey Institute of Art and Design, 14,799 3,477 10 190 
			 The University of Surrey 109,837 27,319 1,811 0 
			 The University of Sussex 81,085 15,686 329 0 
			 The University of Teesside 55,375 18,712 212 0 
			 Thames Valley University 55,666 22,427 1,692 483 
			 Trinity And All Saints College 10,865 2,544 109 0 
			 Trinity College of Music 4,732 1,294 0 0 
			 University College London 382,422 42,561 8,980 0 
			 The University of Warwick 165,295 22,240 712 15,852 
			 University of the West of England, Bristol 104,287 21,968 1,193 0 
			 Westminster College(32) 6,682 932 0 0 
			 The University of Westminster 94,220 28,703 2,512 0 
			 Wimbledon School of Art 4,861 853 0 156 
			 The University of Wolverhampton 86,844 23,845 0 0 
			 University College Worcester 19,785 7,980 371 0 
			 Writtle College 11,827 1,344 0 696 
			 Wye College 11,519 2,174 224 0 
			 The University of York 96,873 16,650 2,288 0 
			 Total Wales 598,207 118,302 4,373 98 
			 University of Wales, Aberystwyth 58,855 9,291 330 0 
			 University of Wales, Bangor 64,198 13,337 1,067 0 
			 Cardiff University 143,853 28,471 2,439 0 
			 University of Wales Institute, Cardiff 39,461 7,537 0 39 
			 University of Glamorgan 62,044 15,582 9 0 
			 The University of Wales, Lampeter 9,789 1,877 27 0 
			 University of Wales College of Medicine 61,612 12,906 0 0 
			 University of Wales College, Newport 24,196 4,894 267 8 
			 The North-East Wales Institute of High 17,888 4,006 0 0 
			 University of Wales, Registry 6,187 112 0 0 
			 Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama 4,414 898 168 0 
			 Swansea Institute of Higher Education 15,882 3,188 15 10 
			 University of Wales, Swansea 81,515 14,896 51 38 
			 Trinity College, Carmarthen 8,313 1,307 0 3 
		
	
	
		
			2000/01 
			Of which: 
			  Total income HE course fees1 Credit bearing course FE course fees 
		
		
			 Total England 11,068,645 2,335,102 209,252 25,975 
			 Anglia Polytechnic University 81,414 24,098 1,992 132 
			 Aston University 49,632 8,768 2,022 0 
			 Bath Spa University College 20,331 4,314 0 0 
			 The University of Bath 88,845 17,194 1,767 82 
			 Birkbeck College 40,174 8,854 520 0 
			 The University of Birmingham 255,440 43,089 2,873 0 
			 Bishop Grosseteste College 4,926 909 98 0 
			 Bolton Institute of Higher Education 27,796 6,065 51 109 
			 The Arts Institute at Bournemouth(27) (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Bournemouth University 51,861 20,217 655 0 
			 The University of Bradford 66,745 12,506 1,971 5,711 
			 Bretton Hall 15,732 2,508 36 0 
			 The University of Brighton 77,784 25,774 1,031 0 
			 The University of Bristol 191,770 25,999 1,567 0 
			 Brunel University 83,650 20,173 233 170 
			 Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College 41,594 11,756 110 22 
			 The University of Cambridge 396,519 38,628 8,980 0 
			 The Institute of Cancer Research(29) 41,954 853 0 0 
			 Canterbury Christ Church University College 45,193 16,201 171 0 
			 The University of Central England in Birmingham 89,258 30,089 804 138 
			 The University of Central Lancashire 92,566 26,465 959 431 
			 Central School of Speech and Drama 5,759 1,152 134 15 
			 University of Gloucestershire (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Chester College of HE 22,640 10,754 82 0 
			 University College Chichester 17,136 3,685 353 0 
			 City University 82,071 38,134 4,457 0 
			 The College of Guidance Studies(30) (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Conservatoire for Dance and Drama(27) (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Coventry University 84,320 27,165 5 0 
			 Cranfield University 117,471 14,964 35,833 0 
			 Cumbria Institute of the Arts 5,489 828 0 32 
			 Darlington College of Arts 3,111 488 0 0 
			 De Montfort University 118,386 31,439 55 0 
			 University of Derby 55,468 15,668 20 784 
			 University of Durham 118,589 20,449 1,758 0 
			 The University of East Anglia 90,154 21,489 1,348 0 
			 The University of East London 65,894 18,640 0 47 
			 Edge Hill College of Higher Education 28,840 9,901 0 0 
			 The University of Essex 63,944 15,327 1,807 0 
			 The University of Exeter 88,877 16,542 1,966 0 
			 Falmouth College of Arts 8,795 2,209 0 23 
			 University of Gloucestershire 37,469 7,872 855 40 
			 Goldsmiths College 43,857 12,514 291 112 
			 The University of Greenwich 98,010 27,520 0 0 
			 Harper Adams University College 13,747 1,746 220 0 
			 University of Hertfordshire 100,845 32,041 922 225 
			 Homerton College 16,193 1,519 0 0 
			 The University of Huddersfield 73,671 14,061 490 0 
			 The University of Hull(31) 91,267 23,651 209 0 
			 Imperial College of Science, Technology 380,761 36,352 3,027 0 
			 Institute of Advanced Nursing Education 8,391 397 0 0 
			 Institute of Education 34,034 4,431 2,612 0 
			 The University of Keele 61,652 13,548 220 0 
			 The University of Kent at Canterbury 70,857 15,838 153 903 
			 Kent Institute of Art  Design 14,494 3,434 67 357 
			 King Alfred's College, Winchester 17,981 3,767 926 0 
			 King's College London 301,544 40,944 2,573 0 
			 Kingston University 83,133 25,886 1,256 54 
			 The University of Lancaster 89,882 15,297 0 0 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University 92,791 23,432 1,469 638 
			 The University of Leeds 273,627 50,060 3,886 0 
			 The University of Leicester 130,865 27,165 197 0 
			 The University of Lincoln 52,935 12,652 43 0 
			 Liverpool Hope 29,409 4,848 333 0 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 99,273 25,365 171 0 
			 The University of Liverpool 192,638 30,074 970 0 
			 London Business School 55,674 18,278 18,683 0 
			 University of London 92,128 1,884 1,411 0 
			 London Guildhall University 52,441 14,407 1,087 900 
			 The London Institute 83,474 19,868 4,156 5,361 
			 London South Bank University 98,496 32,933 2,663 43 
			 London School of Economics and Politics 98,219 39,013 2,099 0 
			 London School of Hygiene  Tropical Medicine 41,042 5,187 0 0 
			 Loughborough University 114,847 18,696 970 103 
			 University of Luton 49,033 18,206 -7 12 
			 University of Manchester 315,604 55,735 12,053 0 
			 The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology 104,089 18,714 439 1,601 
			 The Manchester Metropolitan University 132,869 29,665 771 22 
			 Middlesex University 113,668 41,390 0 0 
			 The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 189,347 22,824 3,738 0 
			 Newman College 6,388 1,224 0 0 
			 The University of North London 64,355 14,569 2,581 0 
			 North Riding College Higher Education (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 University College Northampton 41,057 11,334 1,089 116 
			 Northern School of Contemporary Dance 1,387 143 0 11 
			 The University of Northumbria at Newcastle upon Tyne 99,669 38,641 1,009 153 
			 Norwich School of Art and Design 4,545 795 11 52 
			 The Nottingham Trent University 114,164 26,534 0 2,495 
			 The University of Nottingham 241,493 54,975 3,973 0 
			 The Open University 289,977 100,471 1,362 0 
			 Oxford Brookes University(31) 87,508 29,604 1,016 23 
			 The University of Oxford 407,723 33,934 7,787 0 
			 The University of Plymouth 102,748 25,640 545 52 
			 The University of Portsmouth 85,178 24,185 1,073 104 
			 Queen Mary and Westfield College 124,318 16,798 1,330 0 
			 Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication 6,386 1,673 0 50 
			 The University of Reading 117,985 23,792 618 0 
			 The College of Ripon and York St John(33) 20,951 5,744 771 0 
			 University of Surrey, Roehampton 38,113 8,768 718 0 
			 Rose Bruford College 4,170 1,179 36 0 
			 Royal Academy of Music 10,743 2,946 0 441 
			 Royal Agricultural College(27) 7,672 944 0 0 
			 Royal College of Art 18,258 3,351 228 0 
			 Royal College of Music 10,353 2,169 675 0 
			 Royal Holloway and Bedford New College 59,364 11,753 360 923 
			 Royal Northern College of Music 8,884 1,571 0 0 
			 The Royal Veterinary College 25,846 2,799 89 0 
			 St. George's Hospital Medical School 50,351 2,547 451 0 
			 College of St. Mark and St. John 14,697 3,166 629 49 
			 St. Martin's College 33,863 13,053 0 0 
			 St. Mary's College 14,420 3,013 395 0 
			 The University of Salford 111,151 32,131 1,257 0 
			 The School of Oriental and African Studies 32,908 13,949 1,241 0 
			 The School of Pharmacy 9,478 1,798 48 0 
			 Sheffield Hallam University 114,203 29,728 802 190 
			 The University of Sheffield 224,599 46,068 3,094 0 
			 Southampton Institute 54,570 10,781 4,108 386 
			 The University of Southampton 214,351 38,044 1,286 34 
			 Staffordshire University 71,043 17,982 1,036 1 
			 The University of Sunderland 71,305 14,263 95 7 
			 The Surrey Institute of Art and Design, 16,514 3,917 27 201 
			 The University of Surrey 116,524 28,358 2,127 0 
			 The University of Sussex 85,784 16,158 314 0 
			 The University of Teesside 58,314 20,060 15 0 
			 Thames Valley University 54,727 22,808 1,708 698 
			 Trinity And All Saints College 11,429 2,608 166 0 
			 Trinity College of Music 5,506 1,400 0 0 
			 University College London 412,283 44,734 10,499 0 
			 The University of Warwick 174,451 36,338 4,550 1106 
			 University of the West of England, Bristol 107,431 22,227 879 24 
			 Westminster College(32) (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 The University of Westminster 95,055 29,101 2,924 0 
			 Wimbledon School of Art 5,188 1,075 0 0 
			 The University of Wolverhampton 90,252 24,395 0 0 
			 University College Worcester 19,060 6,560 639 0 
			 Writtle College 13,701 1,439 0 792 
			 Wye College (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 The University of York 103,539 17,941 3,080 0 
			 Total Wales 641,060 125,657 4,715 90 
			 University of Wales, Aberystwyth 62,665 9,372 409 0 
			 University of Wales, Bangor 67,149 13,948 1,107 0 
			 Cardiff University 156,819 30,299 2,646 0 
			 University of Wales Institute, Cardiff 44,175 9,306 0 34 
			 University of Glamorgan 64,820 16,118 24 0 
			 The University of Wales, Lampeter 9,715 1,708 7 0 
			 University of Wales College of Medicine 68,058 13,745 0 0 
			 University of Wales College, Newport 26,010 4,257 180 2 
			 The North-East Wales Institute of High 18,771 4,045 0 0 
			 University of Wales, Registry 6,601 0 0 0 
			 Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama 6,412 972 188 0 
			 Swansea Institute of Higher Education 17,528 3,508 126 10 
			 University of Wales, Swansea 83,248 16,999 28 42 
			 Trinity College, Carmarthen 9,063 1,380 0 2 
		
	
	
		
			2001/02 
			Of which: 
			  Total income HE course fees(26) Credit bearing course FE course fees 
		
		
			 Total England 11,839,076 2,561,139 219,264 24,887 
			 Anglia Polytechnic University 89,496 25,690 1,930 51 
			 Aston University 53,392 11,676 1,096 0 
			 Bath Spa University College 21,217 4,602 0 0 
			 The University of Bath 101,254 19,549 1,751 0 
			 Birkbeck College 46,355 10,769 939 0 
			 The University of Birmingham 279,521 48,540 3,135 0 
			 Bishop Grosseteste College 5,395 1,069 73 0 
			 Bolton Institute of Higher Education 26,984 6,516 31 98 
			 The Arts Institute at Bournemouth(27) 8,173 1,329 98 316 
			 Bournemouth University 57,443 22,262 887 0 
			 The University of Bradford 72,211 14,336 1,745 6,742 
			 Bretton Hall 
			 The University of Brighton 80,642 25,895 967 0 
			 The University of Bristol 209,265 28,940 1,700 0 
			 Brunel University 88,721 21,656 244 174 
			 Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College 41,792 11,903 294 25 
			 The University of Cambridge 446,755 43,113 9,714 0 
			 The Institute of Cancer Research(29) 46,656 942 0 0 
			 Canterbury Christ Church University College 50,816 17,376 233 0 
			 The University of Central England in Birmingham 94,558 34,455 2,409 172 
			 The University of Central Lancashire 98,000 29,663 412 220 
			 Central School of Speech and Drama 6,096 1,195 156 2 
			 University of Gloucestershire (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Chester College of HE 24,760 11,235 38 0 
			 University College Chichester 17,694 3,518 328 0 
			 City University 100,741 50,309 4,681 0 
			 The College of Guidance Studies(30) (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Conservatoire for Dance and Drama(27) 3,578 557 0 0 
			 Coventry University 92,184 29,125 17 222 
			 Cranfield University 122,039 15,355 35,516 0 
			 Cumbria Institute of the Arts 5,894 923 0 17 
			 Darlington College of Arts 3,356 545 0 0 
			 De Montfort University 113,714 30,064 30 0 
			 University of Derby 62,121 15,978 16 704 
			 University of Durham 129,219 21,196 2,070 0 
			 The University of East Anglia 98,412 24,235 929 0 
			 The University of East London 66,525 19,973 0 0 
			 Edge Hill College of Higher Education 31,025 4,950 0 0 
			 The University of Essex 68,451 17,188 1,842 0 
			 The University of Exeter 96,202 17,979 1,979 0 
			 Falmouth College of Arts 9,937 2,236 0 53 
			 University of Gloucestershire 37,430 8,415 754 26 
			 Goldsmiths College 44,340 13,375 257 84 
			 The University of Greenwich 106,255 30,845 0 0 
			 Harper Adams University College 15,393 1,746 239 0 
			 University of Hertfordshire 105,660 34,086 1,187 281 
			 Homerton College 5,369 0 0 0 
			 The University of Huddersfield 76,131 13,793 1,715 0 
			 The University of Hull(31) 94,481 26,154 0 0 
			 Imperial College of Science, Technology 381,230 40,375 2,128 0 
			 Institute of Advanced Nursing Education 9,625 601 0 0 
			 Institute of Education 37,561 4,513 3,929 0 
			 The University of Keele 64,615 14,105 317 0 
			 The University of Kent at Canterbury 77,864 18,068 1,038 0 
			 Kent Institute of Art  Design 14,834 3,440 98 257 
			 King Alfred's College, Winchester 18,172 4,648 232 0 
			 King's College London 318,815 46,063 2,196 0 
			 Kingston University 90,716 29,220 1,383 47 
			 The University of Lancaster 95,437 18,010 0 0 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University 101,218 25,605 2,273 629 
			 The University of Leeds 302,607 56,286 5,093 0 
			 The University of Leicester 145,842 31,338 175 0 
			 The University of Lincoln 59,230 10,065 5 112 
			 Liverpool Hope 31,225 5,675 559 0 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 103,618 26,205 48 0 
			 The University of Liverpool 205,650 32,291 797 0 
			 London Business School 61,918 23,667 19,938 0 
			 University of London 97,634 1,856 1,734 0 
			 London Guildhall University 54,539 15,810 837 154 
			 The London Institute 91,692 22,979 4,865 5,699 
			 London South Bank University 94,760 35,778 3,185 52 
			 London School of Economics and Politics 104,344 45,362 2,607 0 
			 London School of Hygiene  Tropical Medicine 50,210 5,518 0 0 
			 Loughborough University 121,869 21,270 819 101 
			 University of Luton 51,075 20,876 230 1 
			 University of Manchester 328,574 58,593 12,020 0 
			 The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology 117,067 20,431 245 1,625 
			 The Manchester Metropolitan University 139,644 32,366 801 31 
			 Middlesex University 118,480 43,283 0 0 
			 The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 212,929 26,086 3,680 0 
			 Newman College 7,129 1,325 11 0 
			 The University of North London 69,669 18,855 2,746 0 
			 North Riding College Higher Education (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 University College Northampton 42,624 11,945 1,801 432 
			 Northern School of Contemporary Dance 1,709 185 0 12 
			 The University of Northumbria at Newcastle upon Tyne 109,034 40,258 1,190 223 
			 Norwich School of Art and Design 4,734 852 11 60 
			 The Nottingham Trent University 2,078 0   
			 The University of Nottingham 265,302 61,588 3,217 0 
			 The Open University 302,268 104,667 857 0 
			 Oxford Brookes University(31) 90,704 32,058 1,076 23 
			 The University of Oxford 426,549 37,619 7,878 0 
			 The University of Plymouth 112,942 27,497 526 186 
			 The University of Portsmouth 92,623 27,693 1,225 137 
			 Queen Mary and Westfield College 139,604 20,720 1,387 0 
			 Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication 7,188 1,639 0 36 
			 The University of Reading 23,703 2,012 0  
			 The College of Ripon and York St John(33) 21,783 6,540 545 0 
			 University of Surrey, Roehampton 40,200 9,247 447 0 
			 Rose Bruford College 4,227 1,126 30 0 
			 Royal Academy of Music 11,720 3,126 0 476 
			 Royal Agricultural College(27) (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 Royal College of Art 19,339 3,680 235 0 
			 Royal College of Music 11,537 2,045 717 0 
			 Royal Holloway and Bedford New College 63,189 14,206 347 1,037 
			 Royal Northern College of Music 9,294 1,792 0 0 
			 The Royal Veterinary College 27,954 3,037 95 0 
			 St. George's Hospital Medical School 54,188 6,295 496 0 
			 College of St. Mark and St. John 14,698 3,268 645 12 
			 St. Martin's College 35,369 11,863 734 0 
			 St. Mary's College 14,792 3,122 102 0 
			 The University of Salford 115,154 37,694 292 57 
			 The School of Oriental and African Studies 33,945 14,215 1,342 0 
			 The School of Pharmacy 10,731 2,017 82 0 
			 Sheffield Hallam University 119,810 32,866 862 239 
			 The University of Sheffield 237,988 51,250 2,758 0 
			 Southampton Institute 56,301 11,679 4,457 514 
			 The University of Southampton 233,796 41,105 1,876 0 
			 Staffordshire University 74,758 18,147 1,043 0 
			 The University of Sunderland 73,325 15,047 1,517 9 
			 The Surrey Institute of Art and Design, 18,123 4,058 100 269 
			 The University of Surrey 131,453 31,987 2,311 0 
			 The University of Sussex 94,626 17,562 499 0 
			 The University of Teesside 63,351 21,884 21 0 
			 Thames Valley University 60,991 24,838 2,077 684 
			 Trinity And All Saints College 11,910 2,684 131 0 
			 Trinity College of Music 6,561 1,488 433 0 
			 University College London 431,510 48,877 10,202 0 
			 The University of Warwick 191,479 44,885 1,738 1,804 
			 University of the West of England, Bristol 114,428 22,715 888 19 
			 Westminster College(32) (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 The University of Westminster 102,825 32,859 2,531 0 
			 Wimbledon School of Art 5,540 1,130 0 0 
			 The University of Wolverhampton 96,658 26,281 0 0 
			 University College Worcester 20,059 6,702 721 0 
			 Writtle College 15,569 1,560 0 763 
			 Wye College (28) (28) (28) (28) 
			 The University of York 113,319 19,616 2,349 0 
			 Total Wales 696,478 136,733 5,292 115 
			 University of Wales, Aberystwyth 68,926 10,180 575 0 
			 University of Wales, Bangor 75,235 15,004 1,179 0 
			 Cardiff University 167,906 32,343 2,942 0 
			 University of Wales Institute, Cardiff 45,629 9,971 0 63 
			 University of Glamorgan 70,459 17,519 29 0 
			 The University of Wales, Lampeter 9,842 1,779 8 0 
			 University of Wales College of Medicine 77,368 15,240 0 0 
			 University of Wales College, Newport 27,785 4,738 196 2 
			 The North-East Wales Institute of High 20,728 4,630 0 0 
			 University of Wales, Registry 6,969 120 0 0 
			 Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama 6,632 992 207 0 
			 Swansea Institute of Higher Education 17,893 3,801 138 0 
			 University of Wales, Swansea 91,580 18,943 18 48 
			 Trinity College, Carmarthen 9,526 1,473 0 2 
		
	
	(26) HE course fees include home and EC domiciled students studying full-time and part-time at postgraduate and undergraduate level, plus overseas (non-EC) domiciled students. Covers all fee income, including the 1,125 for full-time undergraduate courses.
	(27) New institution
	(28) Blank cells indicate no Finance Return in 2001/02.
	(29) New institution in 2000/01.
	(30) The College of Guidance Studies merged with Canterbury Christ Church College in 2000/01.
	(31) North Riding College merged with the University of Hull in 2000/01.
	(32) Westminster College merged with Oxford Brookes University in 2000/01.
	(33) The College of Ripon and York St John changed it's name to York St John College in the academic year 2000/01.
	Note:
	Zero cells indicate that the institution submitted a separate Finance Return
	Source:
	HESA Finance Record

Further/Higher Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will list the departments which receive higher education research grant funding in (a) dance, (b) drama, (c) performing arts and (d) sports-related studies;
	(2)  if he will list the research ratings under the two most recent research assessment exercises of each higher education institution and department in the UK;
	(3)  how many higher education institutions will receive more than 1 million in research grant from Government in 200304;
	(4)  what his policy is on the provision of research funding to departments rated 4 after the next research assessment exercise;
	(5)  whether it is his policy that some universities should cease to carry out research.

Alan Johnson: The followingList Alists the 23 higher education institutions (HEIs) which will receive recurrent research grant funding for dance, drama and performing arts in 2003/04. List Blists the 27 HEIs which will receive funding for sports-related studies in 2003/04.
	List A: Institutions receiving Quality-related funding for Dance, Drama and Performing Arts 1 Departments in 2003/04
	Higher Education Institutions:
	University of Warwick
	University of Bristol
	University of Reading
	University of Manchester
	University of Kent at Canterbury
	Royal Holloway, University of London
	Nottingham Trent University
	University of Surrey
	University of Hull
	University of Exeter
	University of East Anglia
	University of Birmingham
	Lancaster University
	Goldsmiths College
	University of Surrey, Roehamptom
	University of Huddersfield
	University College Worcester
	University College Chichester
	Middlesex University
	Manchester Metropolitan University
	De Montfort University
	York St. John College
	University College Northampton
	King Alfred's College, Winchester
	Dartington College of Arts
	Bretton Hall
	Bournemouth University
	1 In the last two Research Assessment Exercises, Dance, Drama and Performing Arts were classed as the same Unit of Assessment and attract research funding in the same way.
	List B: Institutions receiving Quality-related funding in Sports-related Studies Departments in 2003/04
	Higher Education Institutions:
	University of Birmingham
	Manchester Metropolitan University
	Loughborough University
	Liverpool John Moores University
	University of Exeter
	University of Sheffield
	University of Bristol
	University of Brighton
	Sheffield Hallam University
	De Montfort University
	University of Wolverhampton
	University of Leeds
	University of Bath
	University College Chichester
	Staffordshire University
	South Bank University
	Leeds Metropolitan University
	University of Surrey Roehampton
	University of Sunderland
	University of Luton
	University of Gloucestershire
	Canterbury Christ Church University College
	Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College
	Details of the research ratings awarded in the two most recent Research Assessment Exercises (RAE) are set out in the documents '2001 Research Assessment Exercise: The Outcome' and '1996 Research Assessment Exercise: The Outcome', published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Copies are available in the House of Commons Library.
	72 HEIs will receive more than 1 million in research grant from the HEFCE in 200304.
	The UK higher education funding bodies carried out a joint consultation last year on the review of research assessment undertaken by Sir Gareth Roberts. Following detailed consideration of the responses to the consultation exercise, an announcement on the way forward is expected from HEFCE and the other funding bodies shortly.
	The Government are committed to supporting and encouraging the highest quality research within available resources to ensure that we continue to compete internationally. High quality research departments are located in a wide spread of institutions and it is not the Government's policy to prevent any departments or institutions from conducting research. Institutions, as independent, autonomous bodies, must consider their strengths and decide the best focus for their academic direction and institutional mission.

Further/Higher Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the remits are of (a) the Higher Education Funding Council for England and (b) the proposed Arts and Humanities Research Council in the future support of arts and humanities research.

Alan Johnson: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) allocates Quality Related (QR) funding for research to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in England selectively, having regard to assessments of research quality in all academic disciplines. This funding is paid to HEIs as part of a block grant. Within the dual support system, it is intended to support the physical infrastructure for research and the costs of permanent research staff time including time devoted to curiosity-driven research in line with the institution's mission and priorities. It therefore complements funding the institution receives in the form of grant from Research Councils.
	The responsibilities of the Arts and Humanities Research Council will be to carry out, facilitate, encourage and support research and postgraduate training in the arts and humanities. Its responsibilities will parallel those of the existing Scientific Research Councils in supporting specific research projects and postgraduate programmes of work in higher education institutions and related bodies in all parts of the United Kingdom.

Further/Higher Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is his policy that Government funding for increases in the number of students in higher education should be directed at the provision of foundation degree places rather than full honours degrees.

Alan Johnson: As set out in the White Paper The Future of Higher Education and the January 2003 grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) we are committed to the expansion of Foundation Degrees while recognising existing commitments to growth in honours degree provision.

Further/Higher Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on incentives provided to higher education institutions for collaboration between departments or institutions.

Alan Johnson: The principal mechanism for encouraging greater collaboration between higher education departments and institutions is the Strategic Development Fund, operated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The fund supports various forms of collaboration including, for example, institutional mergers, strategic alliances and incentives for developing innovative research programmes.

Regional Development Agencies

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is his policy that Regional Development Agencies should have a statutory involvement in the provision of (a) higher education and (b) higher education research.

Alan Johnson: Regional Development Agencies' statutory purposes are: to further economic development and regeneration of their area, to promote business efficiency, investment and competitiveness in their area, to promote employment in their area, to enhance development and application of skills relevant to employment in their area, and to contribute to sustainable development in the UK.
	The Future of Higher Education White Paper outlines the growing role that RDAs have in HE and other knowledge transfer programmes and in addition outlines the following proposals:
	An enhanced role for the RDAs in matching supply and demand for higher education. RDAs already have a direct input into determining new higher education provision in their regions to ensure it meets regional priorities;
	To involve RDAs further in the AimHigher campaign, to help address regional needs for access to higher education;
	To encourage RDAs to play a proactive role in developing the work of the New Technology Institutes (NTIs), including through funding; and
	To ask RDAs to take responsibility for galvanising the business community to work harder to make best use of the opportunities offered by higher education; and to play a particular role in helping small and medium-sized enterprises articulate their needs, and make links with higher education.
	Our research policy treats research as a national priority, and therefore funds the best research wherever it exists. The Higher Education Funding Council for England distributes research funding to universities by a formula according to the quality and volume of their research as measured in periodic Research Assessment Exercises. There is no explicit regional element in the formula and to introduce one might weaken our ability to compete in the international marketplace.
	The RDAs are instrumental as drivers for regional growth and development, often in partnership with higher education institutions within their respective regions. This can involve supporting the research base within their region. However, this is a matter for the RDAs themselves to decide.

Religious Symbols

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received from the general public concerning the proposed policy in France of banning all religious symbols in public schools.

Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills has received no representations from members of the general public concerning the proposed policy in France of banning all religious symbols in schools.

School Absenteeism

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many half-days have been lost owing to unauthorised absence of pupils in (a) East Midlands and (b) West Derbyshire in each year since 1997 (i) in absolute terms and (ii) as a proportion of the total number of half-days.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  East Midlands West Derbyshire 
			 AcademicYear Number of half dayslost due to authorised absences Percentage of half days lost Number of half dayslost due to authorised absences Percentage of half days lost 
		
		
			 199798 1,347,350 0.8 11,003 0.4 
			 199899 1,343,440 0.8 14,437 0.4 
			 19992000 1,291,409 0.7 12,210 0.4 
			 200001 1,357,059 0.8 15,625 0.5 
			 200102 1,419,100 0.8 15,849 0.5 
			 200203 1,411,852 0.8 15,186 0.4 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures relate to maintained primary and secondary schools but exclude maintained special schools and CTCs.
	2. Figures cover pupils that were absent between September and May for each year

Sex Education

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on giving a social and moral context to sex advice offered to under 16-year-olds.

Stephen Twigg: Our policy on Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) is clearly set out in our Guidance published in July 2000. Our Guidance clearly states that 'the objective of SRE is to help and support young people through their physical, emotional and moral development and prepare them for adult life. A successful programme firmly embedded in Personal, Social and Health Education, sets a strong social and moral context to help young people develop personal and social skills and understand the importance of attitudes and values such as the importance of family life.'

Staying-on Rates (Nottingham)

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what contribution has been made by (a) further education colleges in the Nottingham area and (b) the Nottingham Learning and Skills Council to the improvement of staying-on rates at schools in Nottingham North since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: School sixth form provision is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). It is for them to comment on the specific contribution of the FE sector and the local LSC to improving staying on rates at schools in Nottingham North since 1997. I have asked their Chief Executive, Mark Haysom, to write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Student Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what calculations he made to reach the conclusion in the Regulatory Impact Assessment of the Higher Education Bill that the projected future cost of the student living cost loan subsidy will be 27 per cent.

Alan Johnson: The Regulatory Impact Assessment states that the future cost of maintenance loans is estimated at 29 per cent. of the value of loans advanced, which comprises the cost of loan write-offs and the interest subsidy. It was estimated using a simulation model of the distribution of future maintenance loan debt, graduate earnings and student loan repayments.

Student Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much total additional money he estimates will have to be advanced each year to students as student loans in order to meet the Government's recently announced increase to maximum loan levels.

Alan Johnson: We estimate that the additional amount of maintenance loan advanced as a result of the higher maximum loan rates will be around 160 million per annum in cash terms in 2006/07 terms.
	As stated in the Regulatory Impact Assessment published on 8 January, the resource cost 1 of raising the maximum rate of maintenance loan to match the basic living costs expenditure of the mid-range student is estimated at 65 million in 2006/07 terms. This is the resource cost to the Government of both the additional amount of maintenance loan advanced (given above) and the resulting impact on the repayments of fee loans.
	1 Estimates of the resource cost of the loans represent the real economic cost to the Government of providing the loans and take into account the forecast loan repayments, the foregone interest and any loan write-offs.

Student Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether students who receive payments as a grant rather than a fee remission will be entitled to receive the maximum student loan under the Government's proposals.

Alan Johnson: Details of the proposed arrangements are set out in the Government's discussion paper Moving toward a single combined grant for higher education. Copies of the paper were placed in the Library of the House on 19 January; it is also available on the Department for Education and Skills website.

Student Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much grant part-time students will be entitled to under the terms of the Higher Education Bill.

Alan Johnson: The Higher Education Bill does not specify the levels of financial support available to part-time students. Levels are set out in the student support regulations which are made annually. In 200405 a new package of support is being introduced for part-time students. Students on low incomes will be able to get a grant of up to 575 for fees and a grant of up to 250 for course costs.

Student Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes the Government are making to (a) the minimum student loan level and (b) the levels of loan available to students at intermediate levels of family income between the maximum and minimum loan levels.

Alan Johnson: The proposed new means tested student loan figures are given below. The maximum student loan will be increased to meet the basic living costs expenditure of the mid-range student in the recent Student Income and Expenditure Survey.
	
		
		
			 Category of student Maximum loanin 2004/05 Maximum loan in 2006/07 (before increase) at 2.5 per cent. inflation per year New maximum loan for 2006/07 
		
		
			 First and second year students   
			 Living away from home outside London (max.) 4,095 4,300 4,405 
			 Living at home (max.) 3,240 3,405 3,415 
			 Living away from home in London (max.) 5,050 5,305 6,170 
			 
			 Final year students   
			 Living away from home outside London (max.) 3,555 3,735 4,075 
			 Living at home (max.) 2,830 2,975 3,085 
			 Living away from home in London (max.) 4,380 4,600 5,620 
		
	
	The minimum means tested student loan for each category of student, as now, will be 75 per cent. of the maximum eg 3,305 for students living away from home outside London in 2006/07 instead of 3,070 in 2004/05. The loan reduces from 4,405 to 3,305 as parental or spouse income rises from about 33,500 to about 44,000. The minimum loan is available to every eligible student regardless of family income.
	Where under our proposals low income students receive the maximum combined grant of 2,700, which is in addition to their continuing entitlement to loans, we currently expect them to have access to loans worth the maximum entitlement to loan as in the table less 850. Details of the proposed arrangements are set out in the Government's discussion paper Moving toward a single combined grant for higher education.

Student Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the change in the length of time that students will take to repay an average loan following the increase in the repayment threshold from 10,000 to 15,000.

Alan Johnson: The estimate of the length of time to repay is the average across all students who take out a loan. This is different from the length of time it will take for some notional average graduate to repay. The estimate is from a model which simulates student loan repayments, based on assumed distributions of: length of time in Higher Education; size of means-tested loan taken out; size of fee loan, net of any fee remission; and borrower lifetime earnings. Some borrowers will repay more quickly than this estimated average and some less so.
	As part of a package of reforms announced with the introduction of the Higher Education Bill, any debt outstanding after 25 years would be written-off. The threshold would increase to 15,000 in April 2005 and be increased with inflation from April 2010 onwards. The average time to repay would be around 13 years. Under the same approach to uprating the threshold, the average time to repay would be around 11 years with a 10,000 threshold.
	The answer above is based on modelling on the basis of a separate fee grant and HE grant. Once the grants are combined, as announced by the Secretary of State to the House on 27 January 2004, the balance between maintenance loan and fee loan will be slightly different, though the impact on the overall time to repay is likely to be small.

Student Living Costs

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what definition he uses of what constitutes basic living costs for the average student.

Alan Johnson: We have based the increased rates of maintenance loan on the expenditure on basic living items for the average student in each loan category, as shown in the 2002/03 Student Income and Expenditure Survey (SIES). Students studying in London who live independently will benefit the most.
	SIES showed that there is huge variability in students' level of expenditure. We have derived the following standardised list of basic living items based upon a list compiled by a departmental advisory group charged with overseeing the guidance for Higher Education Institution staff when considering applications for hardship support 1 . This definition is more generous than the definition of 'essential' expenditure that was used in the 1995/06 and 1998/09 SIES.
	1 The Advisory Group on Student Discretionary Funds (AGSDF)
	
		Definition of basic living items
		
			 Broad basic expenditure groups Detailed items 
		
		
			 Accommodation Rent/mortgage payments; council tax; utility bills. 
			 Household Food; non-alcoholic drink; household items; TV licence; land-line telephone bills; furniture; household appliances over 50; washing machine; fridge; contents insurance. 
			 Travel To university; to parental home; field trips 
			 Course costs Allowance of 260 per year (includes books; equipment; amenity fees; photocopying; stationery). 
			 Personal Clothes; footwear; glasses/contact lenses; medical treatment; personal items; entertainment spending allowance of 300 per year. 
		
	
	We recognise that on top of basic living items most students will want to buy goods and services that other young people want. The SIES shows that they manage this through supplementing student loans (where taken out) with a mixture of parental support, paid work and additional borrowing.

Undergraduates

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undergraduate students in Wales have declared themselves bankrupt in each year since 1992; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The following table shows the number of student loan borrowers, both graduates and undergraduates, who have had bankruptcy orders made against them since 1992.
	There are no figures showing undergraduates as a separate group.
	
		
			 Bankrupt year(34) Number of borrowers(35) , (36) , (37) , (38) 
		
		
			 1992 0 
			 1993 1 
			 1994 2 
			 1995 4 
			 1996 6 
			 1997 7 
			 1998 2 
			 1999 6 
			 2000 16 
			 2001 22 
			 2002 21 
			 2003 (39)48 
			 Total 135 
		
	
	(34) Calendar year in which the borrower became bankrupt.
	(35) Data shows the number of student loan borrowers.
	(36) Includes borrowers who may or may not have graduated from their course.
	(37) Includes all types of students (including PGCEPostgraduate Certificate of Education students).
	(38) Data covers both types of student loanMortgage Style (including loans sold to the private sector) and Income Contingent.
	(39) The increase in the numbers of bankruptcies in 2003 seems to be as a result of greater public awareness that students loans are provable in bankruptcy.
	Source:
	Student Loans Company.

Student Funding

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Government is required to provide identical funding to UK students and students from other EU countries choosing to study in the UK under all circumstances.

Alan Johnson: The Government are required, under Article 12 of the EC Treaty, to provide tuition fee support for EU nationals in a way that does not discriminate compared to UK nationals. This requirement does not extend to providing access to student loans or grants for maintenance purposes for EU students.

Student Incentives

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the 30 million budget set aside for further education student incentives.

Alan Johnson: As announced in the White Paper 21st Century Skills: Realising Our Potential in July 2003, we are currently piloting an Adult Learning Grant (ALG) in 10 local Learning and Skills Council areas. We are trialling the approach and will evaluate the impact of the pilots to establish, in the light of the conclusions of the next spending review, the best operational design for ALGs, with the intention of implementing a national roll-out of ALGs.
	No announcement has been made on the budget for 2004/05 for the ALG pilots.

University Access

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the access regulator will hold responsibility for the allocation formula for the widening participation budget.

Alan Johnson: No. Responsibility for the widening participation and retention allocation will remain with the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The Director for Fair Access will be a regulatory, not funding body.

HEALTH

Acute Hospital Trusts

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for meeting the costs where the activity of an acute hospitals trust exceeds the amount commissioned by primary care trusts without the agreement of those primary care trusts.

John Hutton: Discussions about commissioning arrangements are undertaken locally between national health service trusts and primary care trusts and if required the relevant strategic health authority. However, NHS trusts are responsible for balancing their income and expenditure in year.

Adolescent Medicine

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialists in adolescent medicine there are in England.

John Hutton: There is not a specific specialty called adolescent medicine. There are a number of specialties that specialise in the treatment of pre-adult conditions.
	The table shows the number of consultants, employed in the National Health Service in England, in child and adolescent psychiatry, paediatric dentistry, paediatric surgery and within the paediatric group.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health services (HCHS): Medical and dental consultants within specialties that work with children
		
			 England at 30 June 2003 Numbers (headcount) 
		
		
			 Child and adolescent psychiatry 500 
			 Paediatric dentistry 26 
			 Paediatric surgery 105 
			 Paediatric cardiology 63 
			 Paediatrics 1,700 
			 Paediatric neurology 38 
		
	
	Source
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

Allergies

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much NHS funding is provided for the diagnosis and treatment of allergies; what plans he has to increase this amount; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what special NHS treatment centres are available for people with allergies in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on national health service funding for the diagnosis and treatment of allergies is not collected centrally. Health authorities (HAs) and primary care trusts receive unified allocations to cover the costs of hospital and community health services, discretionary funding for general practice staff, premises and computers and primary care prescribing.
	The level of funding made available for the drugs, staffing and other costs of providing allergy services are determined locally. It is for HAs, in partnership with other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds to provide health services for their populations including those with allergies.
	The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology handbook, National NHS Allergy Clinics (2001), lists 86 NHS consultant-led clinics in the United Kingdom. There were an additional 15 clinics run by NHS consultants identified by the British Allergy Foundation in the handbook.

Ashford Hospital

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the progress in the negotiations with Mercury Healthcare for the setting up of a new treatment centre at Ashford Hospital, Middlesex.

John Hutton: holding answer 9 February 2004
	The Department, working with local national health service sponsors, is continuing to make good progress towards finalising a contract for the provision of an independent sector treatment centre at Ashford.

Asthma (Children)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) girls and (b) boys aged between five and 15 years suffered from asthma in 2003.

Stephen Ladyman: The data available are shown in the table.
	
		Finished admission episodes by sex for asthma in childrenFor children aged five to 15 yearsNHS hospital trusts in England, 200203
		
			  
		
		
			  
			 Female 4,383 
			 Male 7,011 
			 Total 11,394 
		
	
	Notes
	1. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 200203) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	3. Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 200102 and 200203, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	Source
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Audiology

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many audiologist posts are (a) unfilled and (b) filled by temporary appointees in NHS audiology departments in England; and what percentage of the total number of audiologist posts each of these figures represents.

John Hutton: Information is not collected separately on vacancies for audiologists; they are included within the physiological measurement area of work. Information is collected in the national health service vacancy survey on the number of vacancies lasting three months or more. As at March 2003, 66, or 1.9 per cent. of physiological measurement posts were vacant for three months or more, a fall from 2.1 per cent. in the previous year.
	Information on the number of posts currently filled by temporary appointees is not collected centrally.

Audiology

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people worked in the audiology department of Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, in each of the last six years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Audiology

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) analogue and (b) digital hearing aids were fitted in (i) Taunton Deane Primary Care Trust area and (ii) Somerset Coast Primary Care Trust area in each month of 2003.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Audiology

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hearing aid assessments were carried out in each month of 2003 in the (a) Taunton Deane and (b) Somerset Coast Primary Care Trust area.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not centrally held.

Chiropody

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients recorded as first contacts for chiropody services (a) had a foot condition that was cured within the year and (b) did not go on to receive foot care in the last year for which statistics are available;
	(2)  how many chiropody patients were cured within a year of first being referred in the last year for which statistics are available.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 9 February 2004
	The information requested is not available centrally.

Chiropody

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given to primary care trusts when considering the provision of chiropody services; and how compliance with such guidance is monitored.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 9 February 2004
	It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.

Chiropody

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what responses the Government have received to its consultation on the abolition of the KT23 chiropody statistics; and when a decision will be announced.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 2 February 2004
	The internal review of the KT23 chiropody statistics is not yet complete and formal consultation with interested parties has not commenced.

Chiropody

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what measures are in place to ensure that all initial contacts for chiropody services receive foot treatment and are cured;
	(2)  how many patients recorded as initial contacts for chiropody services did not go on to receive foot care in each of the last six years for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many patients recorded as initial contacts for chiropody services had a condition that was cured within the year in each of the last six years for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available centrally.

Consultants

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about the number of consultants wishing to retire before August; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The NHS Pension Agency has not received any representations regarding the number of consultants who wish to retire before August.
	The Department has published guidance, Reviewing your retirement options: 'Consultants and senior hospital doctors', which offers doctors approaching retirement the option to reduce the pace and commitment of work. The flexible careers scheme which is supported by central funding enables doctors, approaching retirement or who have already retired, to continue working flexibly and at the same time either supplement or enhance their pension entitlements.

Delayed Discharges

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of delayed discharge patients had been waiting over 28 days for a transfer of care as at 1 January in each year since 1997 broken down by local authority in England;
	(2)  how many delayed discharge patients were awaiting a domiciliary care package in (a) England and (b) each local authority as at (i) 1 January 2004 and (ii) 1 January 2003.

Stephen Ladyman: These data are not available centrally. All available information on delayed transfers of care since 1997 is available in the Library. The latest figures for 200304, Quarter 3 (December 2003), will be available by the middle of February and will be placed in the Library.

Delayed Discharges

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid by each local authority in fines for delayed discharge.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to the response given to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 1064W.

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of adverse incidents occurring in (a) NHS and (b) non-NHS dentistry in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The number of adverse incidents involving dental appliances occurring in National Health Service and non-NHS dentistry is shown in the table.
	
		Incidents involving dental devices1997 to February 2004
		
			 Year NHS Non-NHS 
		
		
			 1997 15 8 
			 1998 27 11 
			 1999 28 9 
			 2000 92 22 
			 2001 61 28 
			 2002 51 31 
			 2003 25 32 
			 2004 4 6 
			 Total 303 147 
		
	
	The Government has established the National Patient Safety Agency to improve the safety of NHS patient care by promoting an open and fair culture and by introducing a new national reporting and learning system for patient safety incidents. The reporting system is being implemented across the NHS during 2004.

Domestic Violence

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts in (a) Merseyside, (b) the North West and (c) England have a permanent domestic violence health professional responsible for implementing the Department's document Domestic Violence: A Resource Manual for Health Care Professionals.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not available centrally.

Drugs/Alcohol (Children)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged between 14 and 19 years are known to have experimented with (a) drugs and (b) alcohol in 2003.

Melanie Johnson: Data are not available in the form requested; however the latest available data are shown in the tables.
	
		Table 1: Whether young people aged 14 and 15 have taken drugs in the last month, last year and ever, by genderEngland, 2002 -- Percentage
		
			  14 years 15 years 
		
		
			 Boys   
			 Taken in last month 19 25 
			 Taken in last year, including in last month 28 38 
			 Ever taken 37 47 
			
			 Girls   
			 Taken in last month 15 18 
			 Taken in last year, including in last month 24 33 
			 Ever taken 31 42 
			
			 All pupils  
			 Taken in last month 17 22 
			 Taken in last year, including in last month 26 36 
			 Ever taken 34 45 
		
	
	Source:
	National Centre for Social Research/NFER Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2002
	
		Table 2: Whether young people aged 16 to 19 have taken drugs in the last month, last year and ever, by genderEngland and Wales, 200203 -- Percentage
		
			  Males Females All persons 
		
		
			 Taken in last month 19 15 17 
			 Taken in last year, including in last month 30 24 27 
			 Ever taken 44 36 40 
		
	
	Source:
	Home Office 200203 British Crime Survey
	
		Table 3: Whether young people aged 14 and 15 have ever had an alcoholic drink and whether they had drunk alcohol in the last week, by genderEngland, 2002 -- Percentage
		
			  14 years 15 years 
		
		
			 Boys   
			 Drank in last week 34 49 
			 Ever drank 79 86 
			
			 Girls   
			 Drank in last week 34 45 
			 Ever drank 81 88 
			
			 All pupils  
			 Drank in last week 34 47 
			 Ever drank 80 87 
		
	
	Source:
	National Centre for Social Research/NFER Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2002
	
		Table 4: Whether young people aged 16 to 19 ever drink alcohol and whether they had drunk alcohol in the last week, by gender England, 2001
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Males  
			 Non-drinker 16 
			 Drinks alcohol nowadays 84 
			 Drank in the last week 59 
			   
			 Females  
			 Non-drinker 17 
			 Drinks alcohol nowadays 83 
			 Drank in the last week 57 
			   
			 All persons  
			 Non-drinker 17 
			 Drinks alcohol nowadays 83 
			 Drank in the last week 58 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Respondents are categorised as a 'drinker' if they report ever drinking alcohol nowadays.
	2. Figures for non-drinker include those that used to drink alcohol but do not drink nowadays.
	Source:
	ONS Living in Britain. General Household Survey, 2001

Eczema (Children)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of children who suffered from asthma also suffered from eczema in 2003.

Stephen Ladyman: Using latest data available (1996) the percentage of children who have suffered from asthma was 19 per cent., and those who have suffered from eczema was 23 per cent. The percentage of children who have suffered from both asthma and eczema was seven per cent.. This means that 37 per cent., of those with asthma have also suffered from eczema.

Ethical Recruitment

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the recruitment agencies used by the NHS have not signed up to the code of practice on ethical recruitment.

John Hutton: holding answer 26 January 2004
	The Department does not hold a list of agencies used by the national health service when recruiting overseas. NHS trusts should use only those commercial agencies which comply with the code of practice and which are listed on the Department's website.

Ethical Recruitment

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) steps his Department is taking and (b) guarantees his Department seeks to ensure that the NHS does not employ recruitment agencies that have not signed up to its code of practice on ethical recruitment.

John Hutton: holding answer 26 January 2004
	National health service trusts should use only those commercial agencies which comply with the code of practice and which are listed on the Department's website.
	Strategic health authorities are working with trusts to ensure they comply with the code of practice and only work with agencies which are compliant.

European Health Insurance Card

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made concerning the European Health Insurance Card; when he expects to issue such cards to UK citizens; and whether there will be a charge.

John Hutton: Ministers are currently considering the options available for implementing the European Health Insurance Card in the United Kingdom. Member states, like the UK, which do not currently have a card-issuing infrastructure, have until 31 December 2005 to begin issuing cards to their residents. No decisions have yet been taken on the precise timetable for issue to UK residents. The card will be issued free of charge to the holder.

Foundation Hospitals

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 12 January 2004, Official Report, columns 60203W, on foundation hospitals, whether the Department will set minimum standards on (a) ethical and (b) environmental investments.

Rosie Winterton: There are no current plans to publish minimum standards on ethical and environmental investments.

Free Personal Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his estimates of the cost of implementing the Royal Commission recommendation of free personal care took into account the (a) decision of the Health Service Ombudsman in the case of Mr. Malcolm Pointon and (b) subsequent review by strategic health authorities of continuing care decisions and policies following the decision by the Health Service Ombudsman.

Stephen Ladyman: The decision by the Health Service Ombudsman in the case of Malcolm Pointon is a decision on an individual case, and as such has no bearing on the estimates of the cost of free personal care at a national level.
	The review by strategic health authorities (SHAs) of past decisions on national health service-funded continuing care is retrospective. Payments will be made to individuals where incorrect decisions about NHS funding were made in the past, but these have no bearing on the future cost of free personal care at a national level. Any change made by SHAs to eligibility criteria for fully funded NHS continuing care, following review, is covered in the range of estimates given for the cost of free personal care.

GP Premises

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from general practitioners and their representatives on difficulties in purchasing appropriate premises because of (a) house prices and (b) negative equity; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I am not aware of any general concerns being raised by general practitioners or their representatives on difficulties in purchasing appropriate premises. The arrangements in place to reimburse GP premises costs take account of differing local property prices. Additionally, a flexibility was introduced in September 2003 to enable primary care trusts to provide a grant towards mortgage deficit and/or redemption costs to enable a move to new premises or to modernise existing premises to improve service delivery.

Head Injuries (Children)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children suffered from severe head injuries in each year since 2000.

Stephen Ladyman: The data available are shown in the table.
	
		Primary Diagnosis (ICD-10 SOO-S09) Injuries to the HeadCount of Finished Admissions EpisodesAge on Admission 0 to 17 yearsNHS Hospitals England 200001 to 200203
		
			  Admission Episodes 
		
		
			 200001 40,408 
			 200102 39,693 
			 200203 38,170 
		
	
	Notes
	1. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 200203) diagnosis fields in the Hospital.Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	3. Figures for 200001 are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data. For 200102 and 200203, figures are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	Source
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Health Authorities

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the trust temporary borrowing limits for each strategic health authority are for 200304;
	(2)  what financial information requests are made by his Department of (a) strategic health trusts, (b) NHS trusts and (c) primary care trusts.

John Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Health Care Assistants

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department will publish proposals on the regulation of health care assistants.

John Hutton: The Government are committed to consult on proposals to regulate health care support staff, which will include health care assistants, and this consultation will be taking place in the near future. The consultation will identify those categories of staff whose clinical practice needs to be of a high standard in order to ensure patient safety. The proposals include a range of options including full statutory regulation for these staff and the Government will decide on the way forward in light of the responses to the consultation.

Independent Treatment Centres

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government have in place to ensure that independent treatment centres run by NTC do not recruit from the NHS.

John Hutton: holding answer 5 February 2004
	New treatment centres run by the independent sector will be precluded as part of the contracts they sign from poaching national health service staff. Providers are required to demonstrate to sponsors that their workforce strategy is compliant with the contract.

Mental Health

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many secure beds are available in each mental health trust;
	(2)  what the occupancy rates of beds in secure mental health institutions were in each mental health trust area in England in each of the last three years.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the form requested.
	Information on numbers and occupancy rates of national health service beds, including those for people with mental health problems categorised by ward classification, is available from the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/.

Mental Health

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he (a) has made and (b) will undertake of the support needs of families of sufferers of mental ill health.

Rosie Winterton: The national service framework (NSF) for mental health provides rationale and evidence base for a national standard for mental health services relating to carers of people with mental health problems.
	This NSF standard stipulates that all individuals who provide regular and substantial care for a person on the care programme approach should have an assessment of their caring, physical and mental health needs repeated on at least an annual basis. People who provide regular and substantial care for a person on the care programme approach are also entitled to have their own written care plan which is given to them and implemented in discussion with them.
	In view of the vital role carers play in looking after the users of mental health services, the NHS Plan set a target for services to recruit 700 carer support workers by the end of the year to increase the breaks available for carers, and to strengthen carer support networks.
	In addition, the Department published Developing services for carers and families of people with mental illness in November 2002. Its recommendations are being taken forward by the National Institute for Mental Health in England.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adolescent mental health specialists there are in England.

John Hutton: As at 30 June 2003, there were 500 consultants in the specialty of child and adolescent psychiatry working in the National Health Service in England.
	Consultant numbers in the specialty have increased by 12 per cent., 55 since September 1997.

Missed Hospital Appointments

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce fines for patients who miss hospital appointments; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: holding answer 9 February 2004
	We have currently no plans to introduce fines for people who do not attend (DNA).
	The Government established a national booking programme as part of their modernisation agenda. Giving patients the opportunity to choose the location, time and date of their hospital appointment will reduce the number of DNAs.

NHS Staff

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole time equivalent (a) managers, (b) senior managers and (c) clerical and administrative staff were working in the NHS in England on 1 December, using the definitions in Table 6A of the Department's report, NHS hospital and community health services non-medical staff in England: 19912001.

John Hutton: holding answer 5 January 2004
	The information requested as at 30 September 2002, the latest available data, is shown in the table.
	
		NHS Hospital and Community Health Services: Administration and Estates staff in England as at 30September 2002
		
			  Whole-time equivalent 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Total Administration and Estates staff 201,777 
			 Senior manager 11,420 
			 Manager 19,494 
			 Clerical and administrative 158,978 
			 Maintenance and works 11,831 
			 Unclassified 54 
		
	
	Notes:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest whole-number
	Source:
	Department of Health Non-medical Workforce Census
	The definitions of administrative staff were changed for the 2002 non-medical workforce census to more accurately reflect their roles in the National Health Service. Until the September 2002 bulletin, table 6a showed a breakdown of the whole administrative and estates group, including staff working in direct support to clinical staff. It now shows those staff working in central functions and hotel, property and estates as well as managers, clerical and administrative staff working in central functions. Staff such as medical secretaries have been more appropriately classified as working in direct support to clinical staff. The more appropriate table 6a for September 2002 is shown in the following table. Hotel, property and estates staff includes laundry, catering and domestic services staff; essential for the day-to-day running of hospitals.
	
		NHS Hospital and Community Health Services: NHS infrastructure support in England as at 30September 2002
		
			  Whole-time equivalents 
		
		
			  
			  
			 NHS infrastructure support 158,026 
			 Central functionsadministrative and clerical staff 72,730 
			 Hotel, property and estates 54,382 
			 Manager 19,494 
			 Senior Manager 11,420 
		
	
	Notes:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest whole-number
	Source:
	Department of Health Non-medical Workforce Census

Patient Power Project

Michael Portillo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds have installed services for telephone, television and radio under the Patient Power Project, broken down by the licence holder providing the service.

John Hutton: 52,000 beds have installed patient power services, including 46,000 in the major hospitals targeted in the NHS Plan. The number of operational beds provided by patient power licence holders is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Licence Holder Number of operational beds 
		
		
			 Patientline 44,400 
			 Wandsworth Electrical 3,713 
			 Hospital Telephone Services 2,841 
			 Kerfone 1,375 
			 Premier Managed Payphones 100

Patient Power Project

Michael Portillo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of the beds deemed suitable to receive telephone, television and radio services under the Patient Power Project have those services;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of NHS trusts have signed concession agreements with licence holders under the Patient Power project;
	(3)  how many installations under the Patient Power project will be completed by the end of 2004.

John Hutton: Strong progress is being made with the patient power project. These facilities for patients are delivered at no cost to the National Health Service. As a result, the National Health Service has benefited from over 100 million of private sector investment.
	The NHS Plan target states that patient power services will be available in every major hospital by the end of 2004, which means some 85,000 beds in 155 major hospitals in 125 trusts will have a system. Within major hospitals, over 46,000 beds of that target of 85,000 already have an operational system with almost a year to go before the NHS Plan deadline for installation. 122 of the 125 targeted trusts have signed a contract with a supplier and the remaining three are expected to sign shortly. In addition, NHS Estates has worked with suppliers to enable smaller hospitals to install a service. In total, 52,000 beds in 112 hospitals currently have the service. So far, a total of 149 trusts have signed a contract with a patient power licence holder.

Patient Power Project

Michael Portillo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many licences have been awarded to firms to provide telephone, television and radio services to hospital patients' bedsides under the patient power project.

John Hutton: Eight patient power suppliers have licences, five of which are full licences and three are provisional.

Prison Suicide

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the interim report of the three-year study being undertaken by Manchester university on behalf of his Department into prison suicide has been completed; if he will place a copy of the interim report in the Library; and if he will make a statement on the conclusions and recommendations.

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
	Manchester University, on behalf of the Prison Service and the Department of Health, were asked to evaluate existing and new tools that help staff care for prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm. The evaluation of the existing tool (the F2052SH) was undertaken in 2002 and a report completed. The evaluation of the proposed new tool (the ACCT, that is being piloted in five prisons: Wandsworth, Feltham, Low Newton, Holme House and Woodhill) is not due for completion until later this year. A copy of the report on the F2052SH has been placed in the House Library.

Project Funding

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding is to be allocated for (a) implementation of the European Working Time Directive, (b) the Agenda for Change programme, (c) implementation of the new consultant contract and (d) implementation of the new general practitioner contract.

John Hutton: Primary care trust (PCT) allocations for 200304 to 200506 were announced on 11 December 2002.
	Although none of the growth money has been identified for specific purposes, the allocations do include funding to support the roll-out of Agenda for Change and for the implementation of the consultant contract.
	Additional funding, worth 0.8 per cent. of main allocations, has been allocated to PCTs in 200405 and a further 0.8 per cent. in 200506 to cover the costs of implementing Agenda for Change in acute and specialist hospital trusts, mental health trusts, ambulance trusts and PCTs themselves.
	Additional funding, worth 0.3 per cent. of main allocations, has been allocated to PCTs in 200304, a further 0.1 per cent. in 200405 and a further 0.1 per cent. in 200506 for the implementation of the new consultant contract.

School Nurses

Gillian Shephard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed in England as school nurses.

John Hutton: holding answer 9 February 2004
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Working Time Directive

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications of the Working Time Directive on the work of general practitioners.

John Hutton: The Working Time Directive (WTD) is an integral part of modernising and improving services at all levels. Strategic health authorities are responsible for planning for implementation by trusts of the WTD for doctors in training from August 2004, as part of their overall national health service planning.
	There are a range of solutions to WTD compliance which involve changing the working practices of both medical and non-medical staff. In some cases this may mean changes to the balance and pattern of primary care provision.

Working Time Directive

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish an update from the European Working Time Directive pilot sites.

John Hutton: Reports from the Working Time Directive (WTD) pilots are posted on the Department's web-site at www.doh.gov.uk/workingtime/pilots.htm and on the Modernisation Agency web-site at www.modern.nhs.uk. While the pilots are underway, lessons from their experience, examples of good practice and other changes put in place by the pilots that may contribute to achieving WTD compliance are being shared with the National Health Service through the monthly bulletin, Calling time.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Speed Fines

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated revenue from speed fines (a) is in the current financial year and (b) was in the previous financial year.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 5 February 2004
	Information on the revenue raised from speeding fines is not available.
	Available information shows the total number and amount of fines ordered to be paid following conviction for speeding offences within England and Wales for the calendar years 2000 and 2001. As the majority of such offences are dealt with by the issue of a fixed penalty, the table also shows the total amount of fixed penalties ordered to be paid.
	Not all fines and fixed penalties will have been paid.
	Information for 2002 will be available in the Spring.
	
		Fines and fixed penalties data for speeding offences, England and Wales, 200001
		
			  Court proceedings Fixed penalties 
			  Number of fines Total amount of fine () Average fine () Number of tickets Estimated revenue ()(40) 
		
		
			 2000 139,200 18,098,000 130 1,023,500 44,351,000 
			 2001 133,500 17,622,000 132 1,233,000 73,980,000 
		
	
	(40) 'Estimate' based on 60 penalty charge.

Aggravated Burglary

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of trends in the grant of bail for those charged with aggravated burglary at domestic premises; and if he will make it his policy to seek a reduction in the grant of bail for such offences;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of trends in custodial sentencing for those convicted of aggravated burglary of domestic premises; and what his policy is on custodial sentencing for such offences.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 6 February 2004
	The available information, relating to the custody rate and average custodial sentence length for persons sentenced for domestic aggravated burglary in England and Wales, 1995 to 2002, is contained in the table. The figures show that both the custody rate and the average sentence length have increased since 1995.
	The Government believe that custody should be reserved for dangerous and serious offenders. It is for the courts to impose appropriate sentences in individual cases, taking all circumstances into account.
	The Government have always stressed the seriousness of the offence of burglary. The courts have robust sentencing powers in respect of aggravated burglary: the maximum penalty for the offence is life imprisonment.
	
		Persons sentenced for offences of aggravated burglary(41) in a dwelling and those receiving immediate custody, England and Wales, 1995 to 2002
		
			  Number of persons sentenced Persons sentenced to immediate custody (inc. life) Custody rate (percentage) Average custodial sentence length (exc. life) (months) Number of life sentences 
		
		
			 1995 229 179 78.2 44.7 1 
			 1996 278 220 79.1 44.3  
			 1997 273 232 85.0 46.0  
			 1998 224 196 87.5 46.0 1 
			 1999 234 210 89.7 45.5  
			 2000 194 179 92.3 48.6  
			 2001 221 191 86.4 50.2 3 
			 2002 288 254 88.2 50.1 3 
		
	
	(41) Data are on the principal offence basis
	Source:
	Offending and Criminal Justice Group, RDS.
	Ref: IOS 7204 4 February 2004
	Of those received into prison under sentence for aggravated burglary in the five years 19982002, 82 per cent.-85 per cent. had previously been remanded in custody. These figures do not suggest that courts are unduly ready to grant bail to defendants accused of this offence.
	
		Receptions into prison under an immediate custodial sentence for aggravated burglary: Proportion known to have been previously remanded in custody
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 1998 84 
			 1999 83 
			 2000 85 
			 2001 82 
			 2002 82

Anti-social Behaviour

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department over what period he will pilot the penalty fines for 16 and 17-year-olds contained in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003; and if he will publish an evaluation of the pilot.

Hazel Blears: Taking account of the experience gained of the pilot scheme for adults, we have decided that the issues for 16 and 17-year-olds are essentially the same as for adults. We therefore propose to go ahead nationally with the scheme for 16 and 17-year-olds alongside the national rollout of the adult scheme. That will happen in police areas over the coming months as the necessary IT software becomes available. We will be evaluating the operation of the scheme for 16 to 17-year-olds on an interim basis after six months and again after 12 months. The results will be made available to the House.

Anti-social Behaviour

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of links between trick or treat activities during Halloween with criminal behaviour.

Hazel Blears: No assessment has been made of evidence that links trick or treat activities during Halloween with criminal behaviour.

Anti-social Behaviour

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which bodies will be consulted specifically on curfew orders and supervision orders under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003.

Hazel Blears: The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 provides for extension of the maximum length of curfew orders for 10 to 15-year-olds from three months to six months and the maximum time under supervision from 90 to 180 days. This is primarily to allow the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP) to run for up to 12 months. We aim to pilot the extended ISSP from September 2004. We will be consulting beforehand on the guidance in particular with court Youth Offending Team, children's charity and ISSP interests together with the devolved administrations.
	The Act also provides for intensive fostering within Supervision Orders, and we will consult on implementation with children's charity, family, Youth Offending Team and social services interests.

Bribery

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what targets have been set by his Department for investigation and prosecution of the offence of bribery of a foreign public official;
	(2)  what additional resources he has earmarked for enforcement of Part 12 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 since February 2002, and to which law enforcement agencies he has assigned them.

Paul Goggins: No specific targets have been set by the Home Office for the investigation and prosecution of the offence of bribery of a foreign public official, nor have any additional funds been allocated.

Burglary

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) charged, (b) prosecuted and (c) found guilty of burglary in each year since 1997; how many of these were (i) under 16, (ii) under 18 and (iii) under 21; and how many of those found guilty were given (A) custodial sentences and (B) non-custodial sentences, broken down by age group.

Paul Goggins: The available information is contained in the table and relates to persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts for burglary of all types in England and Wales, 1997 to 2002.
	Statistics on court proceedings for 2003 will be published in the autumn.
	
		Persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and those found guilty and at all courts for offences of burglary(42), by age, England and Wales, 1997
		
			  Number of persons 
			  Proceeded against Found guilty atall courts Sentenced Sentenced to custody Given non-custodial sentences 
		
		
			 1997  
			 All ages 49,530 31,703 31,656 14,338 17,318 
			 of whom:  
			 Aged 10 to 15 5,510 3,354 3,338 362 2,976 
			 Aged 16 to 17 8,365 5,274 5,286 1,595 3,691 
			 Aged 18 to 20 10,454 7,116 7,098 3,325 3,773 
			   
			 1998  
			 All ages 48,114 30,769 31,087 14,547 16,540 
			 of whom:  
			 Aged 10 to 15 5,766 3,517 3,507 329 3,178 
			 Aged 16 to 17 7,944 5,011 4,980 1,514 3,466 
			 Aged 18 to 20 10,143 6,830 6,841 3,458 3,383 
			   
			 1999  
			 All ages 46,141 29,261 29,329 14,345 14,984 
			 of whom:  
			 Aged 10 to 15 5,297 3,294 3,274 381 2,893 
			 Aged 16 to 17 7,094 4,510 4,492 1,434 3,058 
			 Aged 18 to 20 9,752 6,565 6,511 3,408 3,103 
			   
			 2000  
			 All ages 42,406 26,222 26,694 13,677 13,017 
			 of whom:  
			 Aged 10 to 15 5,080 2,948 2,953 422 2,531 
			 Aged 16 to 17 6,447 3,866 3,896 1,175 2,721 
			 Aged 18 to 20 8,496 5,650 5,761 3,055 2,706 
			   
			 2001  
			 All ages 41,593 24,802 24,655 12,476 12,179 
			 of whom:  
			 Aged 10 to 15 4,951 2,859 2,859 434 2,425 
			 Aged 16 to 17 5,787 3,412 3,408 979 2,429 
			 Aged 18 to 20 8,069 4,948 4,829 2,563 2,266 
			   
			 2002  
			 All ages 43,648 26,691 26,376 13,350 13,026 
			 of whom:  
			 Aged 10 to 15 4,930 3,051 3,052 406 2,646 
			 Aged 16 to 17 5,728 3,367 3,366 939 2,427 
			 Aged 18 to 20 7,608 4,730 4,639 2,449 2,190 
		
	
	(42) These data are on the principal offence.

Camp Hill Prison

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mentally ill prisoners are being held in the segregation unit at Camp Hill Prison; and if he will take steps to have them transferred to suitable accommodation.

Paul Goggins: Every effort is made to avoid holding prisoners with acute mental illness in the segregation unit at Camp Hill. On 9 February 2004 there were no such prisoners held there.

Camp Hill Prison

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to increase the hours of purposeful activity for prisoners at Camp Hill Prison.

Paul Goggins: In 200304, HMP Camp Hill's level of purposeful activity has been reduced by the closure of the two main engineering workshops, in rotation, for major re-roofing work. The increased roll has exacerbated the fall in hours per prisoner.
	I am pleased to confirm that the workshops are now functioning fully, and this, combined with a review of contracts, rationalisation of instructors, development of horticulture, a review of prisoners pay and the provision of 35 additional work places, will improve levels of purposeful activity. The target for 200405 is 22 hours per week.

Camp Hill Prison

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the number of staff on sick leave at Camp Hill Prison.

Paul Goggins: During 2003 HMP Camp Hill has experienced significant levels of long term sick leave. A combination of phased returns to work and staff retirements has significantly reduced sickness absence.

Cannabis

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to public funds was per prosecution for cannabis related offences in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: It is not possible to provide a breakdown of criminal justice system costs in relation to cannabis prosecutions. However, the average cost per person proceeded against of a prosecution for a notifiable drugs offence is 13,072. This includes all the costs of the proceedings including punishment (prison or probation) but not investigation.

Cannabis

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) fined and (b) given a prison sentence for (i) supplying, (ii) trafficking and (iii) possession of cannabis in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The available information is contained in the table.
	Statistics for 2003 will be published in the autumn.
	
		Persons(43) fined and sentenced to immediate custody(44) for cannabis related offences England and Wales, 1998 to 2002
		
			  1998 1999 2000  
			 Offence Personsfined Persons sentenced to immediate custody Personsfined Persons sentenced to immediate custody Personsfined Persons sentenced to immediate custody 
		
		
			 Supplying or offering to supply (or being concerned in supplying or offering to supply) cannabis 155 656 116 573 68 405 
			 Possession of cannabis with intent to supply 244 1,284 197 1,112 150 806 
			 Production of or being concerned in the production of cannabis 637 216 499 206 394 156 
			 Possession of cannabis 15,503 410 15,215 451 13,538 361 
		
	
	
		
			  2001 2002  
			 Offence Personsfined Persons sentenced to immediate custody Personsfined Persons sentenced to immediate custody 
		
		
			 Supplying or offering to supply (or being concerned in supplying or offering to supply) cannabis 60 265 51 258 
			 Possession of cannabis with intent to supply 100 618 103 547 
			 Production of or being concerned in the production of cannabis 302 126 422 83 
			 Possession of cannabis 12,960 290 14,123 241 
		
	
	(43) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(44) Includes unsuspended imprisonment, secure training orders, detention in a young offender institution and detention and training orders.

Cannabis

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  on what date the meeting at which the decision was taken that an advertisement campaign to reiterate the illegality of cannabis should be launched was held; and if he will publish the minutes;
	(2)  which agencies were asked to bid for the advertisement campaign to reiterate the illegality of cannabis; and what prices they quoted;
	(3)  what methods he is using to measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign to reiterate the illegality of cannabis;
	(4)  what criteria he used to decide that an advertising campaign to reiterate the illegality of cannabis was necessary;
	(5)  which agency handled the 2004 advertisement campaign to reiterate that cannabis is an illegal drug.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 9 February 2004
	The agency Mother, which is the Home Office's incumbent agency for the drugs education campaign, FRANK, was retained for the reclassification of cannabis campaign aimed at persons under 18. They had participated in a full competitive pitch through the COI's roster of preferred providers and had been awarded a contract in October 2002.
	The joint Home Office/ACPO advertising campaign aimed at adults was commissioned through ACPO and was based on proposals they had developed with their own agency.
	Detailed planning for an advertising campaign started in summer 2003, when officials from the Home Office, Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills held a series of meetings. The proposal to launch a campaign was referred to by my right hon. noble and learned Friend the Baroness Scotland of Asthal, during the debate on the reclassification of cannabis on 12 November 2003, Official Report, House of Lords, column 1469. Specific prices quoted by agencies cannot be released as this would breach commercial in confidence rules.
	The effectiveness of the advertising campaign reconfirming the illegality of cannabis is being measured through a survey with a representative sample of 14 to 17-year-olds. It will report on young people's attitudes as well as their understanding of the changes in the law. An industry-standard approach has been used, using quantitative surveys with a representative sample before the campaign starts, followed by a second wave for comparison once the advertising has finished.
	The Government are determined that nobody should be left in any doubt about the central message in regard to the reclassification of cannabis. The drug remains illegal and is harmful. The advertising is just one strand of a wide range of communications activity which includes leaflets, posters, postcards and education packs for schools and professionals.

Cheadle Royal Hospital

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 502W, on Cheadle Royal Hospital, what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that (a) all the income received by the charity has been applied to the properly authorised charitable purposes and (b) all the assets of the charity have been sold or reassigned in accordance with charity law, with particular reference to section 36(8) of the Charities Act 1993.

Fiona Mactaggart: I confirmed in my Answers of 8 December 2003, Official Report, column 766W and 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 502W, that neither the Charity Commission nor the Greater Manchester police have found evidence of charitable income or assets being inappropriately used by the trustees of Cheadle Royal Hospital.

Community Sentence Breaches

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women were sentenced to immediate custody in England and Wales following breach of a community sentence in each year since 1992.

Paul Goggins: The information requested, for the years 1992 to 2002 is contained in the table.
	
		Persons(45) sentenced to immediate custody(46) for breaches of community sentences(47), England and Wales, 19922002
		
			  Males Females Total 
		
		
			 1992 2,361 51 2,412 
			 1993 2,909 64 2,973 
			 1994 5,291 228 5,519 
			 1995 5,914 238 6,152 
			 1996 6,265 323 6,588 
			 1997 6,779 426 7,205 
			 1998 5,928 473 6,401 
			 1999 6,925 648 7,573 
			 2000 7,583 740 8,323 
			 2001 7,286 817 8,103 
			 2002 8,151 936 9,087 
		
	
	(45) Includes a person more than once if sentenced to immediate custody for a breach of more than one type of community sentence on the same day.
	(46) Includes partly suspended sentences, unsuspended imprisonment, secure training orders, detention in a young offender institution and detention and training orders. Some of the persons shown may be sentenced to non-effective custody for the breach if also sentenced to custody for the fresh offence which caused the breach.
	(47) Includes probation orders (community rehabilitation orders from April 2001), supervision orders, community service orders (community punishment orders from April 2001), attendance centre orders, combination orders (community punishment and rehabilitation orders from April 2001), curfew orders, reparation orders (from June 2000), action plan orders (from June 2000), drug treatment and testing orders (from October 2000) and referral orders (from April 2002).
	Statistics for 2003 will be published in the autumn of this year.

Community Support Officers

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the results of the pilot schemes giving community support officers the right to detain people for 30 minutes will be published.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 February 2004
	At present six police forces are piloting the power of detention, which was given to community support officers by the Police Reform Act 2002. The forces are the Metropolitan Police Service, West Yorkshire Police, Gwent Police, Lancashire Constabulary, Northamptonshire Police, and Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. The pilot is scheduled to last until December 2004.
	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) with the assistance of the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate are conducting an evaluation of the use of this power.
	HMIC have recently initiated an interim review of the first 12 months and have indicated to me that an interim report will be provided this year with the full report available for March 2005. These reports will be published and laid before the House once they have been completed.

Contingency Planning

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's preparedness for a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) incident.

David Blunkett: holding answer 3 February 2004
	I refer the hon. Member to my reply I gave him of 30 January 2004, Official Report, column 1039W, and my statement of 3 March 2003, Official Report, columns 7273WS.
	I plan to update the House on the UK's Resilience to major emergencies shortly.

Crime/Police Statistics (Southend)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many drug-related offences were recorded in Southend in each of the last 10 years; and how many successful prosecutions were brought in each year, broken down by type of drug involved;
	(2)  how many violent offences were recorded in Southend in each of the last 10 years; and how many successful convictions there were for violent offences in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 3 February 2004
	The numbers of drug-related offences recorded in Southend are not collected centrally. In addition, the specific drug offences in the recorded crime statistics, namely drug trafficking, possession and other drug offences, are not collected centrally for Southend. Again, it is not possible to provide prosecution data for drug related offences from the Court Proceedings database. Data for those proceeded against and found guilty specifically for drug offences in the last five years in the South East Essex Petty Sessional Area is given in Table A.
	Recorded crime figures for six key offences are collected and published at Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP), and Basic Command Unit (BCD) level. The six offences include the violent crimes of Violence against the person, Sexual offences and Robbery. Table B gives the number of violent crimes recorded in the Southend CDRP since 19992000 which is the year CDRP data were first collected centrally. The available Court Proceedings data from 1998 are given in Table C.
	
		Table A: Number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty for drug offences at South East Essex Petty Sessional Area (PSA)(48)including those found guilty at the Crown court where South East Essex PSA was the committing court(49), 1998 to 2002
		
			  Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 1998 263 248 
			 1999 336 293 
			 2000 280 252 
			 2001 258 231 
			 2002 235 205 
		
	
	(48) Covers Southend and some parts of Rayleigh, Benfleet and Canvey.
	(49) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	
		Table B: Violent crime offences recorded in Southend CDRP
		
			 Offence 19992000 200001 200102 200203(50) 
		
		
			 Violence against the person 1,463 1,414 1,444 3,043 
			 Sexual offences 157 135 139 195 
			 Robbery 166 148 217 313 
		
	
	(50) Essex Police implemented the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) on 1 April 2002. Broadly, the NCRS had the effect of increasing the number of crimes recorded by the police. Therefore, following the introduction of the Standard, numbers of recorded crimes are not comparable with previous years.
	
		Table C: Number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty for Violence against the Person, Sexual offences and Robbery at South East Essex Petty Sessional Area(51)including those found guilty at the Crown court where South East Essex PSA was the committing court(52), 1998 to 2002
		
			 Year/Offence group Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 1998   
			 Violence against the Person 421 171 
			 Sexual offences 38 10 
			 Robbery 38 19 
			 1999   
			 Violence against the person 353 162 
			 Sexual offences 41 15 
			 Robbery 28 17 
			 2000   
			 Violence against the person 290 127 
			 Sexual offences 23 12 
			 Robbery 28 12 
			 2001   
			 Violence against the person 351 120 
			 Sexual offences 27 8 
			 Robbery 31 13 
			 2002   
			 Violence against the person 292 145 
			 Sexual offences 45 12 
			 Robbery 49 15 
		
	
	(51) Covers Southend and some parts of Rayleigh, Benfleet and Canvey.
	(52) These data are on the principal offence basis.

Drug Treatment

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug offenders (a) in prison and (b) in the community received treatment for drug problems in 200203.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service does not collect data in the exact format requested. The numbers of people receiving treatment for drug misuse are not listed by offence type. However, data are available for those in custody and in the community.
	In 200203 the numbers of people who received treatment for drug problems while in custody in England and Wales are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 CARATs(53) 51,970 
			 Detoxification 50,701 
			 Rehabilitation 4,386 
		
	
	(53) Counselling Assessment, Referral, Advice and Through-care servicesa low-level intervention that provides a gateway assessment, referral and support service to prisoners both within custody and upon their initial release.
	The number of people who received treatment for drug problems in the community was 140,900.

Firearms

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will retain the Firearms Consultative Committee until the end of the consultation period.[R]

Caroline Flint: I refer to the statement I made on 30 January 2004, Official Report, column 20. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has decided not to extend further the life of the Firearms Consultative Committee. The Government are considering the establishment of a new consultative structure which will facilitate the submission of views on a broader basis than was allowed for under a statutory framework.

Graffiti

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what programmes his Department funds aimed at diverting those who graffiti to productive activities.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office provides 7 million per year to the Youth Justice Board (YJB). We are providing funding until April 2006. The Youth Justice Board's Youth Inclusion Project includes the Community Merit Award programmes, which reward positive contributions to the community such as cleaning graffiti.
	15 million has been given to the Positive Futures programme, which is aimed at marginalised children from 10 to 19 years old in the most deprived areas. This programme focuses on building links to education, training and employment and diverts young people from anti-social activities such as graffiti.

Graffiti

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Mayor of London concerning graffiti in London.

Hazel Blears: There have been no discussions with the Mayor of London concerning graffiti in London.
	However in November 2003 we launched the Name that Tag poster campaign which offers a 500 reward for information about targeted prolific taggers. This campaign is a partnership between the Home Office, Crimestoppers, Network Rail London Underground and British Transport Police and runs in London, Liverpool and Manchester. It sends a clear message to taggers that we have had enough of their nuisance and they will be caught.

Graffiti

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether anti-social behaviour orders can be imposed on those convicted of graffiti-related offences.

Hazel Blears: Yes. Anti-social behaviour orders can be granted where it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that an individual has acted in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress to others, and where the court judges that an order is necessary to protect people from further anti-social acts.
	For example, the British Transport Police have obtained a number of orders on those who do graffiti prohibiting them from carrying the implements with which to do so and from trespassing on non-public areas of London Underground or railway property.

Heavy Goods Vehicles

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue policy guidance to the police to take action to reduce the number of heavy goods vehicles using the third lane on motorways.

Caroline Flint: I agree with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) that guidance is unnecessary at this time.
	The majority of HGV drivers adhere to the law and do not use the third lane. I know there will always be a small minority who exercise poor lane discipline, and their actions can cause annoyance. There is however little evidence to suggest this is causing any significant problem.

Home Detention Curfew

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners released on home detention curfew (HDC) since January 1999 (a) have been convicted, (b) have been cautioned, (c) have been prosecuted and (d) are awaiting prosecution whilst on HDC.

Paul Goggins: I will write to the hon. Member.

Identity Card

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps will be taken by his Department to minimise the potential for identity card fraud (a) before and (b) following the introduction of the proposed identity card scheme.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are committed to maximising the security of the identity card scheme. Security is central to the design of the IT systems, the processes and the card itself. Following introduction of the scheme the Government will work to maintain the scheme's security and to combat fraudulent use, building on experience gained manufacturing and issuing other sensitive documents such as passports and residence permits.
	Within the scheme the use of biometric technology will be key to ensuring security and defeating attempts at fraud. A trial examining the use of biometrics in identity cards is currently under way, led by the UK Passport Service.

Police

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the benefits to Gwent Police of the Tetra communication system.

Hazel Blears: By mid-2006, all police forces in England, Wales and Scotland will be using Airwave, their new radio system.
	Airwave provides modern and efficient radiocommunications, giving excellent coverage and secure transmissions and improving the safety of police officers and the public.
	In Gwent, officers are able to use Airwave handsets in 96 per cent. of the force area, compared with 30 per cent. coverage using the old radio system. Airwave car radios can be used in 99 per cent. of the force area, compared with 90 per cent. previously. This increased coverage allows officers to attend incidents safely in areas such as Forest Coalpit, Llanthony and the Wye Valley, which was not possible with the previous radio system.

Police Disciplinary Procedures

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with chief constables concerning the impact on staff morale of long-term suspensions and investigations of police officers.

Hazel Blears: There have been discussions on suspensions in which staff morale was raised but the main features of those discussions were to do with the operational and public interest needs of keeping an officer suspended. Such discussions related to the operation of the power to suspend police officers under the Police (Conduct) Regulations 1999 and the supporting guidance and were conducted within a sub-group of the Police Advisory Board for England and Wales. The Association of Chief Police Officers is represented on this sub-group as are the Superintendents' Association and the Police Federation. As a result of discussions held, the guidance on suspension was amended in November 2003 in a number of respects including a requirement to ensure that the continuing need for suspension is subject to, at least, monthly reviews.
	There have been no discussions concerning the impact on staff morale of the investigation of police officers. Staff morale is a matter for the chief constable and his human resources department. Every officer who is suspended has the support of the staff associations and access to the force staff welfare department.

Police Disciplinary Procedures

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average (a) time and (b) cost of the suspension of police officers in England and Wales where complaints were made against them was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: Information concerning the (a) time and (b) cost of the suspension of police officers in England and Wales is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I cannot therefore provide the average requested.

Police Disciplinary Procedures

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he makes of the (a) cash costs of complaints against police officers and (b) the length of time they take to resolve when determining the budget of each police authority.

Hazel Blears: No central assessment is made of the cash costs of complaints against police officers. This is a matter for individual police authorities and forces.
	The budget of each police force is a matter for each police authority. The funding formula used as the basis for allocating Home Office police grant to police authorities takes into account general operational needs, but does not specifically address complaints investigation costs.

Police Disciplinary Procedures

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the costs of the suspension by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary of Stuart Elford, identifying the (a) associated legal fees, (b) cost of the investigation and (c) cost of the involvement of the Police Complaints Authority.

Hazel Blears: Devon and Cornwall Constabulary have advised that Stuart Elford was paid 57,500 in salary and housing allowance during the period of his suspension. I am also advised that:
	(a) no external legal fees were incurred by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary during the course of the investigation;
	(b) the estimated cost of the investigation was 6,500; and
	(c) the Police Complaints Authority do not cost their involvement in individual investigations.

Police Grants

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to inform police authorities of the amounts that they will receive from specific grants for the financial year 200405.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 26 January 2004
	Police Authorities are notified of specific grant allocations as soon as they are decided.
	Details of the largest Fund (277 million), The Crime Fighting Fund, as well as the 30 million Rural Policing Fund, were announced on 19 November. We are shortly to announce allocations for the Street Crime Initiative (24 million)
	Allocations of Basic Command Unit funding (50 million) will be announced shortly, as will those for Special Priority Payments which are based on force budgeted paybill returns.
	Police authorities are aware that in 200405 they will receive continuation funding (75 per cent.) for Community Support Officers recruited in 200203 and 50 per cent. funding for officers who are in some cases still being recruited in 200304. Final figures will be announced when the full costs are clear.
	Payments of grant for the London Pay Lead and South East Allowances are based on force returns throughout the year.

Police Numbers

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police officers there were in each police force in the United Kingdom in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many (a) Ministry of Defence police officers, (b) British Transport Police officers, (c) UK Atomic Energy Constabulary officers, (d) Port of Dover Police officers, (e) National Crime Squad officers and (f) police force officers there were in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The table gives the number of police officers from 1997 to 2003 in each police force area in England and Wales.
	Information relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
	
		Police officer strength(54)
		
			  March 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003(55) 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 2,989 2,976 2,999 2,934 2,994 3,096 3,149 
			 Bedfordshire 1,094 1,079 1,041 1,028 1,036 1,069 1,106 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,302 1,291 1,274 1,237 1,296 1,362 1,384 
			 Cheshire 2,046 2,042 2,071 2,011 2,002 2,059 2,119 
			 Cleveland 1,459 1,483 1,416 1,404 1,407 1,461 1,582 
			 Cumbria 1,144 1,164 1,126 1,084 1,048 1,100 1,140 
			 Derbyshire 1,791 1,772 1,759 1,777 1,823 1,848 2,003 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,865 2,962 2,887 2,841 2,934 3,053 3,202 
			 Dorset 1,284 1,310 1,279 1,306 1,354 1,381 1,416 
			 Durham 1,461 1,515 1,568 1,558 1,595 1,614 1,651 
			 Essex 2,961 2,928 2,891 2,806 2,897 2,946 2,989 
			 Gloucestershire 1,133 1,104 1,104 1,114 1,173 1,183 1,227 
			 Greater Manchester 6,922 6,949 6,810 6,795 6,909 7,217 7,343 
			 Hampshire 3,452 3,490 3,473 3,419 3,438 3,480 3,668 
			 Hertfordshire 1,759 1,740 1,724 1,767 1,922 1,825 1,957 
			 Humberside 2,045 2,021 1,974 1,932 1,917 2,058 2,105 
			 Kent 3,260 3,251 3,201 3,204 3,319 3,355 3,487 
			 Lancashire 3,247 3,257 3,245 3,179 3,255 3,304 3,339 
			 Leicestershire 1,949 1,983 1,993 1,993 2,032 2,100 2,114 
			 Lincolnshire 1,196 1,191 1,140 1,115 1,202 1,198 1,221 
			 City of London 859 825 778 732 703 764 808 
			 Merseyside 4,230 4,216 4,211 4,085 4,081 4,125 4,099 
			 Metropolitan Police 26,677 26,094 26,073 25,485 24,878 26,223 27,984 
			 Norfolk 1,432 1,430 1,381 1,381 1,420 1,468 1,499 
			 Northamptonshire 1,177 1,169 1,137 1,117 1,157 1,214 1,210 
			 Northumbria 3,677 3,769 3,840 3,788 3,857 3,929 3,943 
			 North Yorkshire 1,338 1,367 1,337 1,283 1,305 1,417 1,444 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,323 2,323 2,225 2,204 2,275 2,330 2,411 
			 South Yorkshire 3,159 3,182 3,168 3,163 3,197 3,199 3,183 
			 Staffordshire 2,211 2,292 2,238 2,170 2,129 2,133 2,202 
			 Suffolk 1,180 1,186 1,190 1,145 1,133 1,203 1,253 
			 Surrey 1,620 1,608 1,662 1,785 2,066 1,992 1,906 
			 Sussex 3,085 2,996 2,847 2,822 2,855 2,893 2,989 
			 Thames Valley 3,695 3,776 3,748 3,740 3,703 3,762 3,833 
			 Warwickshire 926 924 908 900 926 969 997 
			 West Mercia 2,040 2,010 2,025 1,887 1,951 2,018 2,256 
			 West Midlands 7,113 7,156. 7,321 7,194 7,423 7,681 7,751 
			 West Yorkshire 5,209 5,155 4,982 4,822 4,815 4,889 5,029 
			 Wiltshire 1,154 1,156 1,151 1,118 1,120 1,157 1,158 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,005 1,002 1,026 1,040 1,055 1,132 1,149 
			 Gwent 1,243 1,233 1,247 1,264 1,274 1,333 1,341 
			 North Wales 1,369 1,396 1,391 1,403 1,444 1,506 1,539 
			 South Wales 2,976 2,986 2,981 2,926 3,154 3,222 3,239 
			 Total 125,051 124,756 123,841 121,956 123,476 127,267 131,426 
		
	
	(54) Full-time equivalents
	(55) Comparable strength

Police Officers (Sickness Absence)

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the sickness rate for each police force was in the last year for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: Sickness absence rates for the police service from April 2002 to March 2003 were published by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary in his Annual Report for 2003. A copy is available in the Library.

Prison Accommodation

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many modular temporary units have been erected in prisons in the past five years; and how many prisoners they house, broken down by prison.

Paul Goggins: The number of Modular Temporary Units (MTUs) across the Prison estate in England and Wales stands at 29. Between them, they hold a total of 1,160 prisoners. A breakdown by establishment is given in the table.
	
		
			 Location Number of MTUs Number of places 
		
		
			 North Sea Camp 2 80 
			 Hollesley Bay 2 80 
			 Standford Hill 2 80 
			 Wealston 2 80 
			 Highpoint (male) 2 80 
			 Leyhill 2 80 
			 Hatfield 2 80 
			 Spring Hill 2 80 
			 Whatton 1 40 
			 Prescoed 1 40 
			 Wayland 1 40 
			 Stocken 1 40 
			 Channings Wood 1 40 
			 Acklington 1 40 
			 Wymott 1 40 
			 Erlestoke 1 40 
			 New Hall 1 40 
			 Low Newton 1 40 
			 Sudbury 1 40 
			 Kirklevington 1 40 
			 Camp Hill 1 40 
			 Total 29 1,160

Prison Officers

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will change the position whereby a prison officer who has been wounded by a prisoner cannot be told whether that prisoner is HIV positive or carrying hepatitis.

Paul Goggins: As in the national health service, health information is collected in prisons in confidence and may normally be disclosed only with the consent of the person concerned. Prison establishments have been instructed that, where such consent is not given, the confidentiality of prisoners known to be infected with HIV or hepatitis must be protected.
	Some prisoners will be unaware of their own medical status. Prison staff have therefore been advised that, in all risk situations, they should proceed on the assumption that any body fluids may be infectious and that universal routine precautions should always be taken.
	The Prison Service's Health Services for Prisoners Standard (July 2002) requires all establishments to make sure that written information on communicable disease control policy is available to staff and prisoners, including protocols for the provision of post-exposure prophylaxis. The usual practice would be for the injured person to attend a local hospital for counselling, assessment and, if clinically indicated, treatment.

Prison Officers

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when the prison officers Mr. Rowland, Mr. Kerry and Mr. Watkins will be allowed back to work;
	(2)  for what reason prison officers Mr. Rowland, Mr. Kerry and Mr. Watkins are suspended; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 26 January 2004
	Following the end of the criminal trial against Mr. Rowland, Mr. Kerry and Mr. Watkins, the Governor of Elmley will now carry out a review in the case of each of the prison officers, based on all the information available, to see what further action should be taken. The review will be completed as quickly as possible.

Prisoners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners aged 65 years and over are serving prison sentences and were convicted after their 65th birthday.

Paul Goggins: At the end of November 2003, there were 689 sentenced prisoners in prison in England and Wales who were aged 65 and above. 403 of these prisoners had been convicted after their 65th birthday.

Prisoners

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of prisoners are studying with the Open University.

Paul Goggins: The Government are committed to providing a range of educational opportunities to meet offenders' needs. From this year we are releasing more funds to support Open University study in order to ensure that we are offering a more balanced curriculum.
	Our focus is primarily on helping offenders to improve their literacy, language and numeracy skills. Nevertheless, 601 Open University courses were taken by prisoners in the academic year 200203. This represents 3 per cent. of those prisoners who were involved in education at the end of that academic year.

Prisoners

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps he has taken to reduce the number of prisoners escaping from prison.

Paul Goggins: Against the backdrop of a steadily increasing population, the Prison Service has achieved a much-improved performance on escapes from prison and from escort over the last decade. There have been no escapes by Category A prisoners since 1995. Escapes overall have been driven down from 347 in 199293 to 50 in 200203. There have been 45 escapes so far in the current financial year. The Public Service Agreement target is that there should be no Category A escapes and that the number of other escapes should not exceed 0.17 per cent. of annual average population. Performance is well within that target. The escape rate in 200203 was 0.07 per cent. of annual average population.
	This improvement has been achieved through a range of measures, including investment in physical security technology; tighter procedural security; more effective performance management and audit and a strong lead from senior managers; greater security awareness and good levels of compliance with best practice.
	The Escapes Delivery Plan seeks to ensure that the current good performance is maintained. The plan is managed by a project board, chaired by the Deputy Director General of the Prison Service. Membership includes representatives from the police and the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
	The figures given for escapes relate only to escapes from closed prison or external escorts, mostly to court or hospital. They exclude those where the prisoner was recaptured within 15 minutes.

Prisoners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged 60 years and over in England and Wales were (a) convicted of an offence and (b) received a custodial sentence in 2003.

Paul Goggins: The total number of persons aged 60 and over who were convicted of indictable offences in England and Wales in 2002, was 2,324 of whom 620 were sentenced to immediate custody.
	Statistics on court proceedings for 2003 will be published in the autumn.

Prisoners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many prisoners aged 65 years and over had long-term illnesses in each year since 1997;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on prison resources directed at the nursing care of prisoners over the age of 65 years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available centrally. Prisons, work in partnership with their local health care partners to assess the health care needs of all prisoners, irrespective of age, and to develop services to meet them.

Prisoners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people (a) of all ages and (b) aged 65 years and over died in prison in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Number of deaths of prisoners aged 64 and under Number of deaths of prisoners aged 65 and over Total number of deaths of prisoners 
		
		
			 1997 113 8 121 
			 1998 128 10 138 
			 1999 140 9 149 
			 2000 127 17 144 
			 2001 120 21 141 
			 2002 148 18 166 
			 2003 160 21 181 
			 Total 936 104 1,040 
		
	
	Deaths in prison remain a rare but distressing event, affecting families, staff and other prisoners deeply. Prisons work in partnership with their local healthcare partners to assess the health care needs of all prisoners, irrespective of age, and to develop services to meet them.
	Sadly, the largest proportion of under-65s who die in custody take their own lives; meanwhile, over-65s are more likely to die of natural causes. Good care and support from staff saves many lives, but such instances go largely unreported. 141 prisoners were resuscitated following self-harm incidents in 2002, and a further 197 prisoners were resuscitated during the first 11 months of 2003, which reflects a lot of staff effort and skill.

Prisoners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported incidents of violence there have been against prisoners (a) of all ages and (b) aged 65 years and over in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: In April 2003 a new measure of violence toward prisoners was introduced, based on the number of reported serious assaults. This replaced the previous measure, which was based on positive adjudications for assault. Work to improve data quality may have had an impact on the figures reported. Information is not held centrally on those offences towards prisoners aged 65 and over. The figures given in the following table are based on the financial year.
	
		
			  Serious assault on inmate 
		
		
			 AprilDecember 2003 611 
			 200203 582 
			 200102 507 
			 200001 534 
			 19992000 509 
			 199899 380 
			 199798 409 
			 199697 372

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dogs trained to locate drugs are working in prisons; and how many days those dogs worked in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: There are 439 drug dogs working in prisons in England and Wales. Of these 236 are active dogs and 203 are passive dogs. Comprehensive information about the number of days Prison Service drug dogs work is not held centrally and could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

Prisons

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Prison Service takes to obtain medical records about a prisoner's mental health from clinicians who have provided treatment prior to imprisonment.

Paul Goggins: Prison establishments were reminded, in guidance issued in May 2002, of the importance of effective information sharing with other agencies, in particular the NHS, in enabling continuity of care. This guidance requires them, generally with the prisoner's consent, to request any information required from a prisoner's general practitioner or other relevant service with which the prisoner has recently been in contact. It also sets out the circumstances in which information may be requested and disclosed without consent.
	Mental health in-reach teams are now operating in 90 establishments with the greatest need, which means that prisoners with a severe mental illness are generally being cared for by the national health service. One of the key elements of this in-reach service is the maintenance of links with outside services in order to achieve continuity of care.

Prisons

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the (a) total prison population, (b) number of prisoners on remand and (c) number in each case suffering from severe or acute mental illness.

Paul Goggins: On 30 January 2004, there were 73,688 people in prison in England and Wales, of which 13,173 were remand prisoners. Information on the number of prisoners with severe or acute mental illness is not held centrally.
	Using information collected from a survey of psychiatric morbidity among prisoners in England and Wales undertaken in 1997 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) it is estimated that there will at any one time be around 5,000 prisoners with a severe mental illness. Not all of these prisoners will necessarily be acutely ill.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he is measuring the success of the three-year Proactive Project to reduce self-harm and suicides in prison; and when the results will be available.

Paul Goggins: Reducing the rate of self-inflicted deaths in prison establishments is an essential part of the Prison Service's decency agenda and a priority for Ministers. The three-year safer custody strategy to develop policies and practices to reduce prisoner suicide and manage self-harm in prisons, implemented from April 2001, has been under review during recent months. Account is being taken of emerging findings from in-house and external researchers, as well as the views of a wide range of practitioners and external interests, including Samaritans, Prison Reform Trust, Howard League and INQUEST.
	I will be announcing the results of this work and next steps in the Spring. A team from the University of Cambridge is measuring the impact of the Safer Locals Programme on the quality of prison life, and investigating possible links between these measures and rates of suicide and self-harm. Early findings suggest that there are significant associations between levels of prisoner distress and an establishment's rates of self-inflicted death. Aspects of the quality of prison life that are associated with prisoner distress include distress on entry to custody, perceived safety, opportunities for personal development, and perceived fairness.
	A team from Manchester and London Universities is also evaluating elements of the Safer Locals Programme, particularly Health care provision, detoxification services and a workstream called the Care of At-Risk Prisoners (revision of the 'self-harm at risk' From 2052SH) project. Additionally, researchers from the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science were commissioned to evaluate the impact of Safer Cells on Suicide and self-harm. The evaluation included observations, interview and focus groups with prisoners and staff in six prisons. The report, presented in August 2003, concluded that the safer cells programme has much to commend it and recommended that the programme continue.

Public Bodies

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the members of the (a) Community Development Foundation, (b) Criminal Justice Consultative Council, (c) Misuse of Drugs Tribunal, (d) Visiting Committee, Immigration Detention Centre, Harmondsworth, (e) Prison Service Board of Visitors and (f) Visiting Committee, Immigration Detention Centre, Tinsley House were on 1 January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated.

Fiona Mactaggart: The table lists the members of the following bodies on 1 January; their term of office; and whether they are remunerated.
	The following should be noted:
	1. The Misuse of Drugs Tribunal has not sat for many years and is obsolete.
	2. It is the practice not to publish the names of the members of the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) (legally known as the Boards of Visitors and the Visiting Committees) for reasons of security and because of concerns for their personal safety. There are 1,773 members of the IMB and they are appointed for a maximum of three years, and if their performance is assessed satisfactorily and they wish to continue, they are re-appointed for another three years. IMB members are not remunerated but can claim expenses.
	
		
			 Community DevelopmentFoundation Term of office Whether remunerated 
		
		
			 Andrew Selous MP 3 years 1 month No 
			 Andrew Robinson 3 years No 
			 Suhail Aziz 3 years No 
			 Michael Hamilton 3 years 7 months No 
			 Colin Williams QBE 3 years No 
			 Hilary Willmer 3 years 7 months No 
			 Abdul Ismail 3 years 7 months No 
			 Dr Gareth Jones 3 years 7 months No 
			 Peter Latchford 3 years No 
			 Professor Ruth Lister CBE 3 years No 
			 Jogwant Johal 3 years No 
			 Avila Kilmurray 3 years No 
			 Mavis Best MBE 3 years No 
		
	
	
		
			 Criminal Justice Council(formerly the Criminal JusticeConsultative Council) Term of office Whether remunerated 
		
		
			 Lord Justice John Kay (Chair) 3 years No 
			 Judge Alan Wilkie QC 3 years No 
			 HHJ Richard Wakerley 3 years No 
			 Sir David Hatch CBE JP 3 years No 
			 Dame Helen Reeves DBE 3 years No 
			 Judge Davinder Lachar 3 years No 
			 George Mitchell CBE JP 3 years No 
			 Rodney Warren 3 years No 
			 Nicholas Purnell QC 3 years No 
			 Withiel Cole 3 years No 
			 Professor Di Birch 3 years No 
			 Professor John Raine 3 years No 
			 Neil Clarke 3 years No 
			 Richard Collins 3 years No 
			 Paul Cavadino 3 years No

Rape

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on sentencing guidance for rape convictions.

Paul Goggins: The maximum sentence for rape is life imprisonment. Sentences in individual cases are a matter for the courts, taking into account the circumstances of the offence and the offender including all mitigating and aggravating factors.
	It will be possible to sentence offenders to the new sentence of imprisonment for public protection introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003. This scheme allows for those who pose a continued risk to the public to be kept in prison for an indeterminate period of time.
	The Sentencing Guidelines Council was also set up by the 2003 Act with the purpose of issuing guidance so as to bring about greater clarity and consistency in sentencing. The council will be considering guidance on sex offences as one of its first priorities.

Sexual Offenders (Granting of Bail)

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were charged with serious sexual offences and given bail in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available.
	Estimates of police and magistrates' courts remand decisions for England and Wales, broken down by type of offence (i.e. indictable, summary non-motoring and summary motoring offences), are published in chapter 5 of Criminal Statistics England and Wales 2002 Cm 6054.
	Of those males received into prison during 2002 under an immediate custodial sentence for a sexual offence it is known that 52 per cent. had previously been remanded in custody.

Speed Cameras

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Oral Answer to the hon. Member for Southend, West of 3 February 2004, Official Report, column 615, how much money was raised in fines from (a) speed cameras and (b) speed traps in each year since their inception in (i) Southend, West and (ii) Southend.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 9 February 2004
	Available information on the number of fixed penalties and court fines ordered to be paid for the offence of 'speeding detected by camera' in the calendar years 1997 to 2001 is shown in the table. It is not possible from the data collected centrally to identify Southend, West and Southend within the police force area of Essex.
	Information is not available on speed traps as the police do not use this as an enforcement tool.
	Information for 2002 will be available in the spring.
	
		Fixed penalty and court proceedings data for speeding offences detected by cameras(56) , (57)in the Essex police force area, 19972001
		
			  Fixed penalties Court proceedings 
			  Number of tickets(58) Estimated revenue ()(59) Number of fines Total amount of fine () Average fine ()(60) 
		
		
			 1997 18,800 753,700 880 93,900 107 
			 1998 8,700 346,600 1,700 227,400 134 
			 1999 19,800 791,400 2,100 357,400 169 
			 2000 46,300 2,007,200 2,800 317,800 115 
			 2001 81,900 4,911,100 6,500 651,200 101 
		
	
	(56) Automatic cameras until 1998, all camera types from 1999.
	(57) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and The Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.
	(58) Paid, i.e. no further action.
	(59) Estimate based on 40 fixed penalty charge to October 2000. From November 2000 the penalty was raised to 60.
	(60) Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.
	Note:
	Reliable data only available from 1997 onwards for speeding.
	
		Fixed penalty and court proceedings data for all speeding offences(61)in the Essex police force area, 19972001
		
			  Fixed penalties Court proceedings 
			  Number of tickets(62) Estimated revenue ()(62) Number of fines Total amount of fine () Average fine ()(64) 
		
		
			 1997 48,100 1,924,900 5,000 643,600 128 
			 1998 19,300 771,300 4,700 675,200 142 
			 1999 57,900 2,315,100 6,600 933,900 141 
			 2000 102,300 4,434,100 6,300 774,900 123 
			 2001 168,900 10,133,100 9,100 1,020,100 112 
		
	
	(61) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and The Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.
	(62) Paid, i.e. no further action.
	(63) Estimate based on 40 fixed penalty charge to October 2000. From November 2000 the penalty was raised to 60.
	(64) Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.

Schools Liaison Officers

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities have appointed schools liaison officers.

Hazel Blears: This information is not held centrally. The appointment of schools liaison officers is an operational matter, and is a decision for Chief Officers.

Tetra Masts

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any applications for planning permission for Tetra masts have described the modulation characteristics as pulsed.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 5 February 2004
	The Home Office is not directly involved in the mast planning process. Planning applications for Tetra masts for the new police radio system, Airwave, are a matter for the network provider, Airwave mmO2.
	The modulation scheme used by Tetra is known as Differential Quaternary Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK).